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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29765499">We Met By The Sea</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/novemberdoll/pseuds/novemberdoll'>novemberdoll</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rurouni Kenshin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:26:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,380</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29765499</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/novemberdoll/pseuds/novemberdoll</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He had a feeling she was not local. He was quite sure she was not from this country, either. Perhaps she was not even human. But the last idea, that's just plain ridiculous, right?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kamiya Kaoru/Yukishiro Enishi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: i. Inspired by a lovely prompt. Can’t help but fall in love with the idea.<br/>ii. I’ve always wanted to try to experiment with EnishixKaoru. I need a break from the dead lover trope. (As if dead sister is any better.)<br/>iii. English is not my first language, so please be kind to me. Also nothing explicit here. Sorry.</p><p>Selkie- a Celtic mythological creature that can change from seal to human form by shedding their skin/fur.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>i.</strong> </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>She bit her tongue as she tried to concentrate, an involuntary reflex she probably didn’t notice she was doing. For such a simple task as trying to figure out which granule was appropriate for her ordered beverage, she looked like she was in the middle of solving a scientific breakthrough that could change the fate of humanity.</p><p> </p><p>Earlier she took a little of what was labeled <em>salt </em>onto the back of her hand, tasted it with a flick of her little tongue, and sat there for moments, her expression in deep, deep ponder. Then she did it again, now with the one labeled <em>sugar</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the dilemma that led her to this point…</p><p>Was it sugar or salt that she had to mix in her coffee?</p><p> </p><p>Surely no one could be that naïve, he thought dryly, as he sat by the glass panels of the bustling coffee shop, waiting for his order.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe she came from the rural part of an underdeveloped country. That was highly unlikely, judging from the designer-label clothing she had on. Or maybe she was this rich kid who was used to having everything spoon-fed to her…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Even the amount of sugar on her coffee?</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>He shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe one of those dumb tiktokkers. Who knows.</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Triple shot for Mr. Yukishiro!” The barista announced his name, and he stood up and proceeded to the counter. The barista, a young woman in her teens, flashed him a grin.</p><p> </p><p>He only nodded in acknowledgement, before taking it from her and slipping away. He stole a brief glance at the printed label on his drink and chuckled, on the blank space was a scribbled phone number, and a short “You’re really hot! Call me?” added in red ink.</p><p> </p><p>He snorted, <em>sardonically</em>.</p><p>
  
</p><p>He had to give the hapless girl the benefit of the doubt. She was probably new.</p><p> </p><p>Making his way out, he passed by the plighted woman he was observing earlier, still in the middle of her conundrum. She was staring… no, <em>glaring </em>at her coffee, and the two additives before her.</p><p> </p><p>With an exasperated breath he reached out for the sugar packet on the table, and chucked it before her cast-down face. “You might want to add it gradually until you reach your flavor preference.”</p><p> </p><p>She looked up at him, and for a while he stood there, stilled:</p><p>Her impressive sapphire eyes looked at him, wide and disabling.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh,” she said softly, a hint of pink rising on her cheeks. She took the sugar packet on his hand, and deftly looked away in embarrassment.</p><p> </p><p>Not wanting to subject the poor woman to further shame he walked away, only to stop by the doorway to look back. Her little tongue had darted out between her lips again. She was engaged in the seemingly impossible task of opening the little sugar packet and pouring it into her cup. With a hesitant pause and a definitive breath, she raised the coffee to her lips and took a sip.</p><p> </p><p>Those impressive sapphire eyes widened, and a blush crept up her cheeks. She stared into her coffee, her face filled with wonder, as if she had just tasted coffee for the first time, as if she just discovered the meaning of life.</p><p>Then she caught herself, and she looked around to make sure that no one had seen her apparent ignorance. Seeing that no one noticed, (at least she thought so,) her lips finally curled up into a smile.</p><p> </p><p>All around her, people were engaged with their phones, their laptops and digital readers; connected to the world, yet at the same time, severely isolated. Yet the young woman was smiling to herself as she enjoyed her simple cup of black coffee with one packet of sugar, and she watched the view of the pacific coast off the glass panel windows with a quiet contentment.</p><p> </p><p>He left the bustling shop, unaware that he was wearing a rare smile of his own.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>She was not from here, that he was sure of. He grew up here, in this idyllic, multi-million dollar resort town, and this was where he had moved headquarters six years ago, when he had gained complete control of the family business, so he knew most of the locals, and recognized the returning tourists.</p><p> </p><p>That, and from what he gathered from his accidental eavesdropping.</p><p> </p><p>He had a grueling day. They were in the verge of reaching a deal that would have opened another branch outside the US, and if they did, they would hit their 38k mark. He decided to de-stress in his favorite place when a group of women just decided to sit a table across him.</p><p> </p><p>“I was looking for some writing material for my next novel, and I came across a legend from your place. It’s the one about <em>selkies</em>...” A female said.</p><p> </p><p>He glanced slightly only to see three women sitting close to each other, and much to his surprise, the blue-eyed woman from yesterday among them.</p><p> </p><p> “What about selkies, Megumi?” A smaller girl said, almost too nonchalantly. The woman named Megumi shrugged,</p><p> </p><p>“You haven’t heard of it? Misao, I swear. You two probably lived in a cave. It’s a mythical being, the seal-folk, who can change from seal to human by shedding their skin.  They are remarkably attractive, legend says. You need to shed seven tears to summon your selkie-man, though, but imagine having a hot, gorgeous mer-man as your husband?! And selkie men can give children to barren women. I wouldn’t mind having little mer-babies of my own!”</p><p> </p><p>“Aren’t you already married, though?” Said Misao.</p><p> </p><p>“Darling, he doesn’t have to know!”</p><p> </p><p>The blue-eyed woman childishly coughed out her coffee, scandalized by her friend’s bluntness.</p><p> </p><p>Enishi tried to hold in his amusement.</p><p> </p><p>“Well the women, though, its another deal.” Megumi continued, “More often than not their fur-skin gets stolen by a man, and the selkie maiden is now forced to become his wife. If she finds it she will go back to the sea, if she never does, she will forever be gazing, longingly at her home, never being able to return.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a buzz to her phone, and Megumi stood up, grabbing her iced latte. “Sano’s calling. It was nice seeing you around, Misao.” She gave her a quick peck on the cheek, “Kaoru, darling,” she wrapped his blue-eyed woman in a fond hug, “Don’t be a stranger and come here more often!”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Bye!” they waved at her as she exited the coffee shop. The two women settled back into their table.</p><p> </p><p>He glanced at his clock, ten minutes left. Enough to listen to a short podcast. He tried to lift his noise-canceling headphones on to his ears when—</p><p> </p><p>“Mum wanted to know how you’re doing,” the woman named Kaoru spoke, and he paused. Her voice had a melodic lilt to it, and it inflected a heavy foreign accent.</p><p> </p><p>The man put his headphones down.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine,” Misao sighed, with the same foreign accent, but significantly lighter. “Is that why you came all the way from home, just to see me?”</p><p> </p><p>Kaoru bit her lip. “Well, hearing all these stories about <em>such marriages</em>—”</p><p> </p><p>His cellphone vibrated in his pocket, probably for the hundredth time now. Perhaps it was his assistant, or one of his bumbling subordinates. Gods, he couldn’t even get a peaceful lunch break...</p><p> </p><p>“Those are just romanticized tragedies, big sister! Besides, even if those were the circumstances Aoshi and I started with... he did give me back my freedom. It was I who decided to stay.” Misao reached out and patted her sister’s hand. “Look at Sano. He’s married to Megumi ten years now...”</p><p> </p><p>Kaoru gave her a skeptical look. </p><p> </p><p> “Hey,” Misao tried, “I do visit home once a year, don’t I?”</p><p> </p><p>“But don’t you miss us?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure I miss you, but I can always pay a quick visit whenever I want to. Big sister, no one is holding me back. I love my husband, and I’m happy where I am right now. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.” She paused, and sighed. “So how is everyone?”</p><p> </p><p>“Still the same. Haven’t really changed for—"</p><p> </p><p>The cellphone that was beeping finally blared. He checked his phone and realized he was five minutes over his break.</p><p> </p><p>“Mr. Yukishiro, where are you?!” His assistant squawked over the phone. “The meeting starts in ten minutes!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Shit.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Taking his black coat he rushed out of the coffee shop. He passed by the counter, the young barista flashing him a smile again, and even dared to wink.  </p><p> </p><p>He made a mental note to approach the manager about this little annoyance.</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me, excuse me!” a feminine voice called out, as he exited the glass doors.</p><p>The blast of the chilly coastal wind met his person, and he wrapped his coat tighter around him.</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me?”  The unknown female tried again, and there was a tug to his coat. He stopped.</p><p> </p><p>Probably that teenage barista.</p><p>Enishi paused. He knew how to reject politely, he had already done so many times in his life before, from women (and even men) in all classes of social standing.</p><p>But today he did not feel like being anywhere near polite.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve no time for this,” he muttered, irritated, under his breath.</p><p>Gein was still ranting in his ear, (he had not turned the phone off.) But the moment he spun around, he found blue doe-eyes, gazing up at him expectantly.</p><p> </p><p>A flock of seagulls took flight from overhead, the sound of their flapping wings overlapping with the crashing waves from the shore.</p><p> </p><p>The white-haired man blinked.</p><p> </p><p>“I... I think I was being rude, the last time we met.” She said.</p><p> </p><p>A gust of seaside wind blew their way, bringing in the characteristic coastal breeze. He was never the attentive type, but he shifted, about to offer his coat to the woman. But she already had one on her shoulders:</p><p> </p><p>An odd, white, fur-like shawl of some sort... it looked foreign, she looked ridiculously out of place, but it looked warm enough to wrap her entire body.</p><p> </p><p>He shut his phone off, effectively silencing his assistant. “You weren’t.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Thank you,” she beamed, “For the sweetener.” She stepped forward. She took his hand and dropped something light on his palm. Knowing that the wind was blowing rather ardently, she wrapped her two hands around his, prompting him to grasp the item.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s this?” he raised a brow.</p><p> </p><p>She only smiled at him as she released. “Bye,” she merely said, waving at him as she turned to run. </p><p> </p><p>For reasons unknown to him, he took an unconscious step forward, when his smartphone rang again. The next thing he knew, she was gone... melted into the sea of people.</p><p>The man continued to stand, unmoving in the middle of the crowd, when his phone blasted again.</p><p> </p><p>“Something came up. I’ll be there in five.” He dismissed curtly, not even listening to the other line.</p><p> </p><p>He opened his palm to look at his little gift,</p><p>And his lips curved to a downward frown.</p><p> </p><p>Sugar packets.</p><p> </p><p>Not her number<em>. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Dammit.</em>
</p><p>*****</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>ii.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Between the droning flatness of his personal secretary's monologue and the shrill squeals of the teenagers sitting across their table, the white-haired man could only deepen his frown. Perhaps the obvious look of disinterest in his face would give his lovely companion the hint to <em>shut the fuck up, </em>but he knew tasteless words wouldn't be enough to deter her.</p><p>His bored look drifted to the outer seating of the coffeehouse. "Hyoko. I'm taking a quick smoke break."</p><p>The secretary halted like a freight train on emergency brakes, and she looked at him for moments before she cracked up into a not-so-demure snort.</p><p>"What are you talking about? You don't smoke!" She tried to regulate her giggling, which did nothing to hide the masculine tone of the effeminate man, "You don't smoke, don't drink, oh, you should at least have <em>one </em>vice?!" she asked so casually, "Oh, never mind. I probably know what it is already," she wagged a brow at him, which made the white-haired man scowl even more. "Anyway, back to Itou-san and his affair with the cleaning maid..."</p><p>A phone dinged. Turquoise eyes flicked to the screen,</p><p>
  <em> <strong>~Missed the flight.</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Can't make it this evening. Maybe in the next two weeks?~</strong> </em>
</p><p>The man's lips pursed into a tight line.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>~Please. I do want to see you, but it's been a rough week for Kenshin,</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>They're working on a difficult case.</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>I don't want to abandon him at this time.~</strong> </em>
</p><p>Of course. Trust that diminutive clown to ruin a long-conceived dinner with his sister. And to think they planned this so-called dinner six months ago!</p><p>Dexterous fingers nimbly typed in a reply,</p><p>
  <strong>-Fine.-</strong>
</p><p>Resisting the urge to hurl the offensive phone to the wall, he looked away and breathed deep.</p><p>He was in desperate need of a distraction.</p><p>His secretary continued to ramble, and she would be rewarded with the occasional grunt or the sarcastic snort to indicate that although bored, she still humored him. But the haughty little noises her boss usually made had dropped so suddenly, and so her speech also came to a standstill.</p><p>He trained his eyes on a curious object on the outdoor seating,</p><p>Slung on the back of the chair. The secretary squinted her eyes to figure the baffling object out.</p><p>A fur coat.</p><p>White, with diffused, light grey marbling,</p><p>The silky fibers shining unsteadily under the bright sun, stirring from the beach's hot, passing wind.</p><hr/><p>The secretary opened her mouth to remark when she caught his rare look of concentration.</p><p>She knew that look. At times she could tease him, but there were certain thresholds that she would never test. Such thresholds was a look like this, a look she dare not cross, a look that she knew she should <em>shut up or else</em>.</p><p>Although he had been nothing but professional, her boss, by far, was the most intimidating man she had ever worked for in her entire life.</p><p>He tapped his fingers absently on the table, and he adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. His gaze shifted to another part of the outdoor deck, and all movement stopped.</p><p>Although he retained a stony face, he took a sharp intake of breath.</p><p>Hyoko leaned back. This was serious.</p><p>Beady eyes following his strange glare, her vision settled to the solitary figure by the barrier that stood between the deck and the sand:</p><p>It was a woman. Black hair sifted from the coastal wind, a hand holding on to the edges of her fluttering summer dress, she appeared to be engrossed at the tranquilizing rhythm of the nearby sea as the waves crashed to the shore.</p><p>Then the woman turned around,</p><p>and looked right through them.</p><p>Her boss stood from his chair.</p><p>Before a knowing smirk could form Hyoko's lips, the unknown woman's expression suddenly brightened, and she broke into a run.</p><p>She leaped...</p><p>Straight into the arms of a tall, brown-haired man. They laughed for a bit, the man planting a kiss on the woman's forehead.</p><p>"Eh?" Hyoko's eyes darted to her boss, surprised to find him walking in the opposite direction.</p><p>He stopped, and he gave her a sidelong glare. "You plan on sitting there the whole day?" he practically snarled at her as he motioned to the wall clock.</p><p>"O-of course not!" Hyoko shot up, utterly confused.</p><p>Her boss could not possibly be <em>that</em> eager to go back to his office suite. Struggling to catch up to his rushed strides, she took a last peek at his suddenly vicious expression.</p><p>Goodness, that was one ominous scowl.</p><hr/><p>He was in a foul mood, according to <em>external sources.</em></p><p>He had been for the whole week. Apparently, he tortured the VP of operations (The project draft was all wrong, he had it revised overnight.) He fired two personal assistants (They spent their precious time trying to hit on him rather than pursue their professional objectives.) He made three interns cry (They were incompetent.)</p><p>As he tried to scrutinize his actions as to what he did different than his usual routines (which he found, there was none, he justified all his actions,) a coy hand snaked around his arm, and his eyes flicked down to the brown-haired woman beside him.</p><p>She gave him an inviting smile. "Enishi, I'd like to sit by the view, if you don't mind."</p><p>He turned to the Maître D'.</p><p>"Mr. Yukishiro! So pleased to have you here!" the man enthused.</p><p>"She wants a view," Enishi motioned to that one empty table past the floor-to-ceiling glass panes, right by the open-air seating. It held a breathtaking view of the coast, the night sky unobscured.</p><p>The Maitre D' peered on his list. Finding someone had already reserved, the older man quickly took a pen and struck out the poor soul's name out of his book, scribbling <em>Mr. Yukishiro </em>over it. With a quick nod and not an ounce of remorse, the Maitre d' whipped up a quick smile and lead the couple towards their seat.</p><p>Candles were already lit on the centerpiece. Lights strung along the open-air beams. The weather was perfect, the wind a mere warm breeze. The peaceful chatter of the guests from the other tables filled the background.</p><p>"It was nice of you to agree to dinner," the woman suddenly started, ghosting her fingers over his. She started tracing light circles on the back of his hand.</p><p>A vain brow raised, " You asked me in front of the Board of Executives. You didn't exactly provide me with a choice."</p><p>She winced at his caustic tone, and he ended up flinching, too. He was never this brutish, especially to potential investors.</p><p>Perhaps...</p><p>"<em>Jeez," he could hear one of his subordinates, Inui, mutter under his breath, "Who the hell peed on your cereal this morning?"</em></p><p>His employees were right.</p><p>She cleared her throat and resumed her smile, "Anyway, I want you to know that I'm not here for business matters," the index finger switched to her middle finger. She applied more pressure than was deemed appropriate, the swirling motion becoming a stroking one.</p><p>The man shifted.</p><p>"<em>What in the world is the matter with you?" another subordinate, Gein, reprobated sharply, "Maybe you just need... like... a quick fuck, or something!"</em></p><p>He felt tempted to massage the bridge of his nose, feeling a massive headache looming. Maybe it was caffeine withdrawal.</p><p>His usual caffeine source had not been an option, as he avoided the place like the plague for the past seven days. And so he had been surviving on watered-down coffee made by those incompetent interns the whole week...</p><p>"And I just wanted to reward you for the excellent business you provided me," She tried to sound provocative, and he leaned from his chair, relaxing his shoulders.</p><p>Maybe this woman was his ticket for a release tonight. Gaze switching from bored to predatory, he rewarded her with a rakish grin, but his eyes suddenly fell on a familiar item, slung on the back of the chair, by the table across them.</p><p>A white fur coat.</p><p>Future investor gave him a concerned look. "Are you alright?"</p><p>"Yes. Overworked, most probably," His rakish grin eroded. He could not even fake his enervation as he fell back to his chair, perplexed. "Forgive me." He loosened the tie around his neck and gave out an exhausted sigh.</p><p> </p><p>Great.</p><p>Now he was flat out hallucinating.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, then I apologize for the timing." His companion graciously withdrew, "Let's get through dinner. As for the... reward, maybe another time?"</p><p>"Of course," he said distractedly, taking a double glance at the innocuous white fluff. It didn't disappear, but he did realize someone was sitting on the chair itself.</p><p>The small woman from last week, Misao. She was leaning on the backrest, casually talking to a tall, stoic man seated beside her. Then she turned her attention to the woman seated adjacent, and he immediately recognized who she was.</p><p>The blue-eyed woman, who wore a lavender dress, smiled up at the man beside her. It was that brown-haired moron. He had his arm lazily draped on her shoulder as they continued to chat animatedly.</p><p>The man also had a curious pelt on the back of his chair. Unlike Misao's pure white and Kaoru's marbled white and grey, his was a dark grey, entirely.</p><p>Enishi's eyes narrowed.</p><p>A woman approached the table: Megumi. The brown-haired man stood up. He leaned over and kissed the newcomer on the lips. It wasn't a long kiss, but it wasn't chaste either, for it involved a quick slip of the tongue.</p><p>Misao squeezed her stoic man's hand and squealed.</p><p>The couple settled beside a blushing Kaoru, who was looking at them, abashed. The brown-haired man gave out a great laugh, and he hooked Kaoru with his arm again and messed her hair. She pulled away, giving him a sharp jab on his ribs. The group broke into a fit of laughter.</p><p>"... bullying your cousin," Megumi said, arms folded in consternation, yet smiling all the same.</p><p>The beginnings of a smile pulled on the corners of his downturned lips.</p><p>"Mr. Yukishiro, sir?" a presence interrupted, and his eyes flicked up to the waiter. "We apologize for the wait. Are you ready for your main course?" He handed him a menu.</p><p>"I'm not familiar with French cuisine," his companion grinned.</p><p>The waiter jumped in eagerly, "I can help you with—"</p><p>She shook her head, leaning over the table, "No. I want my date to do it. Perhaps you could help a damsel in distress out? Besides, I want to hear you speak your French."</p><p>"Of course," Enishi started, managing to hide his annoyance.</p><p>He ended up elaborating on every item on the menu. It took some precious time, and when they were finally done, the waiter stepped back to fulfill their orders when Enishi stopped him.</p><p>"Will you provide me with a pen and paper," it came out as a command, but the waiter eagerly obliged to their highly valuable patron.</p><p>The man adjusted his glasses and quickly scribbled something, handing it back to the youth. The waiter quickly scanned the request, and after reading through, tilted a secret gaze to the table adjacent to them.</p><p>
  <em>~ A bottle of Chateau Le Pin for the lady in the lavender dress.~</em>
</p><p>"I'm sorry, Mr. Yukishiro, but it seems like..." he motioned, and turquoise eyes followed suit.</p><p>The table was empty,</p><p>The guests had just left.</p><hr/><p>His presence graced the coffeehouse the next morning, but the woman with blue eyes was not there. He resolved to come in earlier the next day, which he did.</p><p>No blue-eyed woman,</p><p>Or even a glance of marbled white fur to catch his attention.</p><p>He returned the next day, and the day after, and the day after that. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before he knew it, two years had passed.</p><p>He fell back into his usual routine as the family business demanded more of his attention. By the start of the new year, they had opened a branch in the Caribbean, 38.4K in total. With a new goal set for the quarter, he locked away any thoughts of a blue-eyed woman at the back of his mind,</p><p>But subconsciously, as he sat at his spot by the glass panels poring over a book or checking his personal emails during a quick coffee break, his eyes would wander to the innocuous group of tourists at the corner, or the windy deck that held the outdoor seating, hoping to catch a glimpse of familiar white fur, shining unevenly in the sun.</p><hr/><p>He stood in the middle of the crowded boardwalk, catching his breath and cooling his sweat from his early morning jog, when he came across a familiar sight. It was a brutally clear morning, the heat of the sun pounding on his sweat-drenched body when suddenly, there she was.</p><p>She bit her tongue as she tried to concentrate, an involuntary reflex he now knew she didn't notice she was doing. For such a meager task as trying to figure out which coin was appropriate for the <em>revenue telescopes</em> mounted on the pier, she looked as if the impending decision would determine the fate of the world, or at least, her precious future.</p><p>She had spent a good fifteen minutes mulling over the currency in her little purse, whilst the dilemma that led her to this point...</p><p>Was it the shiny silver coin she drop,</p><p>or the bigger one with the man on a wig?</p><p>She stooped down to read the directions on the telescope, and she shifted her intense gaze to her coins at hand, squinting hard at the minuscule writing.</p><p>Her pretty little face crossed to an equally pretty frown.</p><p>His feet carried him forward, but he abruptly stopped. He could feel the phone on the side of his jogger pants vibrate like crazy, clamoring for his attention. A most unpalatable image dump of an inbox full of e-mails, a calendar full of commitments crashing down into a mountain of paperwork, and stolen yawns before boring, suit-clad men halted his momentum.</p><p>But then, a little thought arose from that hidden corner in his mind:</p><p>He had spent the past two years waiting for this fucking <em>introduction</em>.</p><p>Taking the wireless buds out of his ears, he strode forward and headed to her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Casanova- a man who seduces women, and has many lovers.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><hr/><p>
  <em>iii.</em>
</p><hr/><p>The first time she saw him was an embarrassing debacle. The second, she thought, was a chance to redeem her shattered dignity.</p><p>"It's him," she said when the crowd had cleared, and her best friend Misao peered through the glass panels of the coffeeshop, squinting from the glare.</p><p>"Him?" Misao cast a confused glance at her blue-eyed companion.</p><p>"The man that gave me sugar packets," Kaoru answered. "He probably thought I was an idiot," she laughed at herself softly, "I'm so useless."</p><p>They directed all attention to a white-haired man who was seated by the deck. He sat with his legs crossed, ankle over knee as he worked through his coffee on his left hand, and a folded newspaper on his right. He held what looked like a perpetual scowl on his face, yet the soft puffs of steam rising from his coffee had softened his features, making him look quite striking.</p><p>"I should thank him some time," Kaoru said, a cheery smile lighting up her features. There was a soft puff, or was it a giggle that arose from her side? She cast a scrutinizing look at her best friend. "What now?"</p><p>"You act as if you're still back home, Big Sister," A blush tinged Misao's cheeks as the pet name left her lips, and she tiptoed and patted her blue-eyed friend's head as if she were a little child, teasing. "This isn't the small island where people know what the neighbors ate for lunch... for all we know, that expensive-looking man keeps dead bodies in his closet..."</p><p>"<em>Mas e do thoil e</em>, Misao..." Kaoru pulled back, utterly horrified. "How grim!" The blue-eyed woman shook her head derisively.</p><p>"I've seen a movie about it. I don't know if it was based on real-life or not," Misao spoke as-a-matter-of-factly, "But it was about this good-looking banker named Patrick Bateman, who lived a double life as a homicidal maniac..."</p><p>"Eh, I'm pretty sure he's not a serial killer. That would be such a waste," Her gaze drifted to his perfect majesty by the deck, as he set his coffee and scrunched his brows to a frown.</p><p>"Yeah, that would be a waste," Misao's gaze followed the dreamy man. "Anyway, I was kind of surprised when you made your way here without anyone to accompany you,"</p><p>"Nice to see you again too, Misao." Kaoru smiled, and the small woman beside her laughed, leaning her head playfully against her shoulder. "Megumi's here," Kaoru said, raising her hand to wave hello.</p><p>She stole one last glance at the nice, adorably scowling man by the deck, making a mental note to thank him before he left.</p><hr/><p>Today they lounged under the warmth of the midday sun, the rush of the coastal breeze filling their senses. It was inevitable, from the open seating that held a most picturesque view of the beach, the blue-eyed woman's gaze drifted towards the sea, over the far horizon. Squinting her eyes from the sun she looked, and she could see the outline of a ship in the distance, sailing by.</p><p>She did not notice, but her lips parted in a sigh.</p><p>She would have allowed herself to plunge into the lonely, unspoken depths that was her mind, but a gentle hand steadied itself on her shoulder.</p><p>"Sano will be arriving soon. He's just looking for parking. You'll be okay by yourself for a while, Kaoru?" Misao peered at her quite meekly.</p><p>"Of course," Kaoru smiled, tearing her gaze away from her beloved ocean to the smiling face of her dearest little friend. "Misao, why wouldn't I be?"</p><p>"Being in a big city like this can be overwhelming," Misao hooked her arm around hers, a look of nostalgia veiling in her eyes, "I know what it feels like. So if you need anything, or if something concerns you, know that I'm here for you, Big Sister. I've got your back... just as how you've got mine."</p><p>"Thank you," her face brightened with a smile, but it slowly faded. Brought about by the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the distant blare of the boat's foghorn in broad daylight... A vain display of the captain's showmanship, it most probably was, for the day was clear as can be...</p><p>It was then that the genuine smile turned wistful, settling on her lips.</p><p>Thoughts of a faraway place over the vast ocean, distant memories of crystal clear waters, laughter splashing like the joyful waves...</p><p>"Kaoru," her friend's steady hand tugged at her again, Misao was now looking at her in concern.</p><p>"I'm alright," Kaoru smiled apologetically, "Don't worry about me. Sometimes my mind just drifts off."</p><p>Desperate to find a distraction, Misao's gaze scanned the crowd. Kaoru was only here for a few weeks, and it would be undermining for her best friend to spend her time off home, only to be reclaimed with the very distress she had tried to escape from momentarily.</p><p>"Ah," Misao sighed in relief, nudging Kaoru by the shoulder and motioning to a familiar corner inside the coffeehouse. Blue eyes followed along, and her friend smiled, accepting the welcome distraction.</p><p>It was the white-haired man, having his cup of coffee.</p><p>"Leaning back casually, arm slung on the backrest and legs in a <em>Figure Four</em> sitting position- a highly dominant<em> alpha</em>," Misao started, eyes like a hawk as she watched him set his coffee down and pick up his smartphone. The patent downturn to his lips appeared, quite handsomely, as he recovered his resting arm and pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his haughty nose.</p><p>He proceeded to loosen his tie.</p><p>"Confident, even at a state of exhaustion. Even his frown looks elegant," Misao's eyes narrowed as she spotted a black coat slung on the back of his chair. "He looks expensive, Kaoru," she informed her friend, leaning back and giving her a nod of finality. "My verdict? A C-level executive who is terribly difficult to please. Noting his impeccable grooming and the bulging biceps on his rolled-up sleeves, he is painfully vain. Might be into workout really early in the morning... a Type A personality for sure, maybe has Narcicissm, or OCD, or both.</p><p>Oh, and I could bet you on my life,</p><p>With a face and body like that, he is most definitely a <em>Casanova</em>.</p><p>Keep away from him. That guy looks dangerous."</p><p>Kaoru laughed. "How can you even tell?" She shook her head in disbelief, "This would probably explain my zero dating history. You guys are worse than my —" she cut herself short, falling silent.</p><p>The small woman turned silent, too. Misao turned to her friend,</p><p>"At least he's a nice distraction... that's kind of what I need." The blue-eyed woman's face was the same cheery expression, yet the hold to her marbled fur coat tightened.</p><p>Misao cursed herself silently for being such an incompetent friend.</p><p>"Oh!" Kaoru suddenly exclaimed, "What are you sitting here for? Didn't Aoshi tell you to meet him by his clinic in ten minutes?" She stood, and she practically peeled Misao off her chair. "Yes, he did. Now get going, and I promise I'll be fine! Your apartment is only two blocks away," she gave Misao a gentle push.</p><p>"But Sano is not yet—" Misao protested, for she knew that this was another one of Kaoru's brilliant manipulations... she was really good at diverting any topic, just to keep them from worrying about her. "There's food in the fridge in case you get hungry," The small woman goaded, "And all our phone numbers are written on that little pad beside the receiver,"</p><p>"Goodbye, Misao!" Kaoru waved, and she smiled when Misao made one last attempt to edge towards her.</p><p> "Jeez," Miso started to dread, "I told you to buy a phone, or at least those disposable ones... with all the money you have, you could have at least—"</p><p>Kaoru gave her friend one last wave before Misao was swept away by the exiting tourists. As she was left solitary on the outdoor deck, her gaze drifted towards the nice man by the separating panels.</p><p>She took swift strides forward, but when she almost reached him, she halted.</p><p>A woman clad in corporate attire approached her would-be acquaintance. The woman sat beside him, setting two medium-sized paper cups of coffee on the table: one labeled <em>Enishi, </em>and the other one, <em>Hiyoko</em>.</p><p>Kaoru slowly backed away, a small smile flitting her lips. "Looks like Misao didn't have to worry about my already non-existent love life," she laughed softly at herself, truly humored, and she turned away, bringing her attention back to the vast ocean.</p><p>Sano would be here any minute now. Ah, she was excited.</p><hr/><p>It had been a while, a week, maybe? That was why it was to her surprise to have seen him again, here, of all the places excluding the usual coffeeshop. He had a woman with him, not Hiyoko... no, it was another one.</p><p>They looked quite comfortable with each other, as the woman leaned over and started stroking his arm. He responded by giving his date, or lover, most probably, a charming grin.</p><p>"So the flight home is tomorrow?" A rather heavy arm settled around her shoulder, as a nonchalant Sano hooked her by the neck, dragging her closer to him. "Can't believe it's been two weeks,"</p><p>"Me neither," She said, stealing another glance at her <em>non-acquaintance. </em>Misao was right. He most probably was a <em>Casanova</em>. But with a face such as his? Rightfully so...</p><p>"Will someone be meeting you there?" Sano asked, oblivious to her distraction.</p><p>"Yes, Edina and Aillig should be at the airport when I arrive," She managed to reel her attention back, almost laughing at her ridiculous disappointment. She would blame her silly pettiness on her infamous <em>'zero love-life history.'</em> "From there we'll drive to the seaport, where we'll take one of the boats... or maybe a charter plane, to drop us off," She continued, shrugging. "You know, the usual routes."</p><p>"Give us a call before you board the boat," Aoshi, Misao's husband, chimed in. "Just to know that you arrived safely. We all know from that point on we won't be hearing from you for quite a while.</p><p>The sea can be quite possessive, we wouldn't know when it would decide to give you back to us,"</p><p>"Aye, will do!" Kaoru smiled.</p><p>"Stay at our place next time," Sano tugged at her, "It's much bigger and more comfortable. Megumi and I will file a leave from work,"</p><p>The blue-eyed woman looked up at him, "Sano, you don't have to,"</p><p>"She's gonna be staying with me," Misao interjected, quite strongly, "She's perfectly fine with her arrangements now, right, Kaoru?" Misao turned a haughty nose up, glaring at Sano. "True, you live in a mansion, but our apartment is smack by the shoreline, where she could explore the city by foot whenever she pleases." She folded her arms in front of her smugly, "I'm her best friend, I think I can provide her what she really needs,"</p><p>"I'm her <em>cousin, </em>connected to her flesh and blood. <em>I </em>can provide for her," Sano started, and Kaoru, rising into a panic, waved her hands in front of her.</p><p>"How about I stay a week at Sano's, and a week at Misao's?" She appeased, "And in my next little vacation, I stay longer than two weeks? How does that sound?"</p><p>The arm around her shoulder significantly relaxed, and Misao, who was just about to stand, leaned back on her chair. Kaoru released a sigh of relief, and Aoshi was rolling in laughter.</p><p>"I'll give you guys a call, or at least an e-mail, as often as I can," Kaoru promised.</p><p>"Only if the sea or the winds permit," Sano pleaded, bopping his head gently against his cousin's.</p><p>"Yes, Kaoru," Misao agreed from across the table, "Only if the sea permits," she gave her a placated smile, "Otherwise we'll just have to miss you in silence, until the next time we hear from you again."</p><p>"<em>Or </em>if a miracle occurs," Sano shrugged, "And there would be some magical Wi-Fi connection to pop up in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean."</p><p>Misao rolled her eyes. "Yeah, some wishful thinking never hurt anyone."</p><p>They continued to chat in earnestness, and now even more so, with the arrival of Sano's wife.</p><hr/><p>Nothing much had changed, even after two years.</p><p>Well, plenty much has changed. She might not have seen it yet, but like her home, what really mattered had stayed the same. The midday sun beat down on a crowd of people, the distinctive scent of the Pacific Ocean filling her lungs, seagulls mewing overhead...</p><p>It was good to be away from home, at least for a short while.</p><p>Aside from the usual mass of people, there was a family of five by the boardwalk's perimeter, gathering around a most curious-looking metal structure. It took a while for her to figure out what the thing was until she finally got a closer look.</p><p>It was a large telescope.</p><p>Blue gaze softening under the meridian sun, she allowed herself to smile. Momentarily lost in her memories, she jumped at the chance when the family had finally left. But the smile turned to a frown when she realized, as she stood in front of the large metal device, that it needed payment to activate.</p><p>She took out her purse and thumbed through the unfamiliar currency that Sano and Misao had given her, and she sighed in disbelief, as she could not, for the life of her, remember which coin was which.</p><p>It needed four quarters, it said in the directions... so were the quarters the small silver ones? But there was another silver coin, except on this one, the man had a wig...</p><p>"The inscriptions may be small, but it should be written there." A rather pleasing male timbre resonated from behind her, and she turned to see the source.</p><p>The blue-eyed woman almost staggered back.</p><p>Totally unprepared to face a wall of bare, masculine muscle, she was still barely able to recover when the handsome physique leaned forward.</p><p>"Looks like you only have three." He said, pointing to her coins at hand.</p><p>"Oh," she said, pulling her gaze to his face. "Oh!" She said again, a spark of recognition in her eyes.</p><p>It was her white-haired <em>non-acquaintance</em> from the coffee shop.</p><p>Same handsome face, same downturn slant to his lips, a trickle of sweat fell discretely from his forehead, down to the side of his temple, disappearing into locks of atypical white hair. He was taller than she had originally thought, as she barely reached his shoulders.</p><p>And he was shirtless, although he did have tight black jogger pants on. He was still catching his breath, coming from a midday run, she surmised. It was then that her face flushed:</p><p>Here she was in front of him again... as an idiot.</p><p>Just like the first time.</p><p>The man leaned closer. A sturdy arm reached over her shoulder, and she turned, tracking his movements. He swiped a rather rare-looking visa card through one of the slots, and the light on the machine blinked green.</p><p>Kaoru stepped back, looking rapt. "Here, you can—"</p><p>"It's for you." He motioned, stepping back.</p><p>"You sure?" she tilted her head some, and he responded with a little nod, and a curious upward twitch to the corner of his lips.</p><p>Her face yet again lit up brightly. "<em>Tapadh le</em>—" she halted, catching her tongue, "I mean... Thank you," She smiled...</p><p>And he did so, too.</p><p>"I need to repay you. It's not that I have no money, I just don't have change." She looked up trustfully, into inscrutable eyes. "Some water, or any hydration..." she paused, fighting the slight threat of embarrassment that was rising on her cheeks.</p><p>"Water sounds fine," he answered, falling to her side almost naturally. "I'll wait."</p><p>"<em>Aye</em>," she affirmed, keeping her smile as she peered through the telescope. "I won't take long."</p><p>The blue-eyed woman led her attention back to the distant seascape. A warm gust blew, and she held the loose ends of her unbound hair that were sifted by the wind.</p><p>Some of the strands were able to escape, brushing lightly on the man's arm. He did not step away. Rather, he stayed in place quite still. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and he glanced at the woman beside him, who was engrossed at the view beyond.</p><p>"I'll wait," he found himself repeating,</p><p>and he quietly looked back at the picturesque sea.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <em>iv.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"I never really bothered with coffee before,” she confessed.</p><p>They were seated across each other by his favorite spot of the coffee shop. She warmed her hands around her cup, the steam rising on her face. It resulted in the most adorable tint of red to her cheeks, as her gaze flicked to the man sitting across the table,</p><p>"Father said coffee stunted one's growth."</p><p>The white-haired man snorted. "I've been drinking coffee since I was thirteen. Do I look like 5'1 to you?"</p><p>Kaoru's flush deepened. Withdrawing her hands she crossed them on the table and gave him the sternest look she could have possibly mustered. "Are you telling me I'm <em>short</em>?"</p><p>He tried to suppress the upward quirk on the corner of his lips.</p><p>"Here," she shoved her cappuccino towards him. "It's yours."</p><p>"What are you trying to do?"</p><p>"It's yours," she repeated, looking away. She held a mischievous smile of her own, "Since you love coffee so much."</p><p>"Are you trying to make me drink more coffee," The quirk to his lips now a full-blown grin, "In hopes that I miraculously shrink?"</p><p>She turned to him and gasped. Her blue eyes grew wide, and she held the guiltiest expression on her pretty face: It made her look like a kid caught stealing from the cookie jar.</p><p>Enishi fell silent, and he looked down. Then his shoulders shook, and before Kaoru could ask what was wrong, he threw his head back and burst into a terrible fit of laughter.</p><p>"It doesn't..." he tried to regain composure, but it was terribly hard, "It doesn't work that way..."</p><p>The blue-eyed woman looked away with a huff, "Hey, you'll never know."</p><p>With that, his hysterics worsened, lurching on the countertop table. People started throwing glances their way, but the man did not seem to care.</p><p>"I have never..." he clutched his side but his efforts to stop seemed already doomed, "Laughed at something so petty..."</p><p>"And now you're saying I'm <em>petty</em>?" Kaoru feigned annoyance, but an upward tilt to her lips said otherwise. She was trying to humor him further, and she was successful.</p><p>"Kaoru," he realized, yet his laughing fit had not ended.</p><p>She heaved an exasperated sigh, displaying fake irritation, yet the satisfied smile seeing <em>his </em>smile and hearing his laughter stuck genuine. "Glad to see you smile again," she said, very quietly, "You've been in damp spirits the past few days."</p><p>"<em>Your lunch break is at these hours? I'm usually here at this time, too!"</em></p><p>"<em>I'm a new friend, so whatever spiel you have, It won't be the same boring things your old friends had heard."</em></p><p>"<em>How was your day?"</em></p><p>"<em>You look especially bright today! Something good happened?"</em></p><p>"<em>Bad day today, it seems. Go ahead and vent. I'm all ears."</em></p><p>Curt little meetings would end too shortly, one-hour conversations that he wished would extend throughout the day. When the clock struck 1:30, she would give him her reassuring smile and prod him back to work, never wanting to be in the way of the usual routine he had established for himself for so many years.</p><p>"<em>It's always a pleasure, chatting with a good friend," </em>she would say, and he would leave her as she would continue to sip on her coffee.</p><p>He would always look back whenever he reached the doorway, and she would always wave and grace him with a smile. "See you tomorrow!" she would simply say, and she would even give him a slight bow, as if thanking him for his time. Then her wistful gaze would shift towards the distant ocean as blue and infinite as her eyes.</p><hr/><p>His casual lunch meetings with her had bled into his Sunday morning breakfasts (as it was on his early Sunday morning jog that he first met her), and the whole morning of his only Day Off, he had not realized, was devoted solely towards her.</p><p>"Far away from here," she said, when two weeks had turned into three, and he decided to ask her where she came from. "I practically grew up in the middle of nowhere!" From which a fierce blush arose her cheeks, markedly embarrassed, and she momentarily stopped talking.</p><p>It took a while for him to realize what he had done, and it took longer for him to convince her that no, he was not making fun of her heavy accent.</p><p>"Can't tolerate black coffee, can't handle a tease," he leaned back on the chair, his mouth curving to a wicked grin, "You must have grown up very sheltered." Enishi crossed his leg, ankle over knee as he unknowingly sat in his distinct figure-four position, and casually slung his arm on the backrest.</p><p>Kaoru sucked in a sharp breath, "That might be true, but I'm not as fragile as you think!" she defended, "I grew up with the weirdest lot you could imagine..."</p><p>She followed suit and flopped herself on the two-person couch, crossing her arms and huffing in annoyance.</p><p>Suddenly Enishi stiffened, painfully aware of her proximity.</p><p>Sitting beside her instead of across her came spontaneously at the start of the second week, and accidental brushes to the arm or knee were inevitable as the distance between them closed in.</p><p>Now, she sat close beside him that her leg had been innocently pressed against his. Although on the backrest, his arm could be easily dismissed by a passerby as having it around her shoulder.</p><p>She looked up at him, so suddenly, with those disabling blue eyes. She started talking about a street performer she saw yesterday morning when he suddenly interrupted,</p><p>"Are you normally this trusting to people?"</p><p>She paused momentarily and blinked.</p><p>"You'll never know, Kaoru, what might be lurking behind other people's fronts."</p><p>Her eyes were wide and vulnerable, and for a while, she stared at him blankly. Then a smile bloomed her lips, and a giggle arose her throat.</p><p>"What's so funny?"</p><p>"I just remembered something that my cousin Misao said..." she laughed, and she muttered a man's name, which suspiciously sounded like the main character of the movie <em>American Psycho. </em>"But you're my friend, <em>aye</em>?" she tilted her head to meet his sidelong glance, and she smiled at him. "At least that is what I assume we are,"</p><p>She winked at him playfully. They broke eye contact as she pulled away to reach out for her sweetened coffee. But she settled back down, cup in hand, as she finished her warm drink quietly beside him.</p><p>"Flattered," he chuckled, and she hummed in response.</p><p>Truly he was. She had trusted him enough to sit this close beside her, arm brushing against his side. Yet a part of him was inexplicably troubled. Was she also this intimate with her <em>other</em> male friends, sitting so close and looking up at them with the same disabling tactics?</p><p>She shouldn't be so unguarded, <em>even </em>with friends, he thought in irritation.</p><p>But it did not explain the fact that his arm that was somewhat - but not really - around her shoulder, remained in place... and he kept it there, especially when a new batch of customers entered the coffee shop. Enishi recognized them as regulars. Two were eyeing her subtly, and one dared to step toward them.</p><p>Enishi tilted his head and leaned close to Kaoru, commenting on something offhand. Naturally, she looked up at him and kept his gaze, listening to him intently.</p><p>Seeing that the pretty blue-eyed foreigner did not need company, the young newcomer backed away.</p><p>It felt utterly ridiculous, and for his standards, petty, but Enishi couldn't help but take pleasure at the young man's defeated expression.</p><hr/><p>"Her name is Kaoru Kamiya, and she is twenty years old." Enishi leaned back and swiveled to face the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. He stared into the view of the Pacific coast.</p><p>"Kamiya. Sounds Japanese." Hiyoko remarked from across the mahogany desk, typing furiously at her laptop. "You think she's from there?"</p><p>"May have roots in that place. Her hair is dark."</p><p>Hiyoko stopped typing, and she peered at her boss, waiting for him to continue for he suddenly fell silent.</p><p>"But she has an accent," he started again, and the Personal Secretary's lips quirked upwards. She had to suppress it, though, just in case her boss might suddenly turn to her and catch her expression. "It's very strong. Tapped R's, elongated vowels. Her words sound... <em>glottal."</em></p><p>"Scottish?"</p><p>"Most likely," He paused, "And her eyes are blue."</p><p>Hiyoko heaved an exasperated sigh, and she withdrew her hands off the laptop. She rested her chin on her hand, "Boss, I see how she prefers three sugars on her already sweetened cappuccino is worrying, or that her favorite ice cream flavor is plain <em>vanilla</em>, but could you give me actual facts that can connect her to the real world?</p><p>Like, where she is from,</p><p>Or... does she go to school? Does she work?</p><p>Who are her parents?</p><p>Even the cousin and the best friend's name she claims to live with don't yield many results. I see their spouses' profiles, but they do not have accounts of their own.</p><p>There must be <em>something</em>..."</p><p>"Shouldn't her name be enough?" he snapped.</p><p>"<em>Zilch." </em>Hiyoko concluded. "No Facebook. No Twitter, no Instagram, TikTok, MySpace, not even a LinkedIn... it's either this girl didn't tell you her real name, or she really comes from fucking 'nowhere', like she said she does."</p><p>"She did admit she was 'sheltered'," Ensihi considered.</p><p>Hiyoko's brow shot upward, "Idle Rich, then, if she's just indulging in our upscale resort town without the need for work, or, at her age... school. Either that, or she's hiding something." She heaved an exhausted breath, "Then my <em>OnlyFan</em>'s search had been useless, too." she shut her laptop close.</p><p>The secretary turned to him squarely, and with a deadpan drawl she asked him: "Look, instead of stalking her in google, why don't you just ask her?"</p><p>There was a long silence before Enishi answered.</p><p>"She's very vague."</p><p>Hiyoko snickered. "You make her sound like some mythical creature."</p><p>The white-haired man distractedly glanced at the clock. He stood up, swiftly grabbing his black suit and slinging it on his shoulder.</p><p>"On your way to meet her again?"</p><p>He paused as he reached the doorway, "It's 12:05," her boss said flatly, as if she should have already known that.</p><p>"Five minutes behind for your daily <em>date,</em>" Hiyoko smirked, and to no fail, his trademark scowl emerged. "Just text her you'll be a little late, boss. I'm sure your new <em>flavor-of-the-month</em> will understand."</p><p>He fell silent.</p><p>"What now?" The personal secretary groused.</p><p>"I can't."</p><p>"And why so?"</p><p>"I..." he hesitated, did he look... embarrassed? "I don't have her number."</p><p>Hiyoko blinked. "You don't have her number?" she echoed dumbly. "And... you've been seeing her every day, during lunchtime, and "casually", every Sunday morning, for the past four weeks?" A sound escaped Hiyoko's throat, which sounded suspiciously like a restrained giggle.</p><p>He snapped like a cornered animal. "I never asked."</p><p>"Wait, wait..." Hiyoko was doubled over in laughter, "Please explain to me... how you, Mr. Yukishiro, head of your family's billion-dollar business, who is infamous for your ability to lure women into his bed after just one lunch meeting, is unable to snag one measly number from an unknown girl?"</p><p>"I already told you," he practically snarled, "I never asked for it."</p><p>"Why?" Hiyoko fell back on her chair, utterly bewildered. "She's definitely kept your interest. She might actually last the whole month before you finally fuck her and toss her away," The Personal Secretary's eyes grew wide, and she gasped. "You're scared."</p><p>"I'm not—"</p><p>"You're actually scared!" Hiyoko cackled, jumping out of her chair and shot towards him, clinging childishly on his arm. "I've never seen you scared before... wait, let me text the others," she whipped out her phone gleefully when he turned to leave,</p><p>"Enishi," Her tone suddenly turned serious, and it made him halt.</p><p>He looked back.</p><p>She was looking at him strangely. "I've known you since sixth grade. This is really something new."</p><p>He remained silent.</p><p>"Look," Hiyoko sighed, "Do whatever you want. Just don't be throwing your tantrums on us when she suddenly disappears into thin air, like she did before." She smirked when she caught his eyes narrow. "It's been less of a hell since she came around. I'd like to bask in this temporary paradise... even if it's just gonna last a month or two."</p><p>She released him and nudged him out the door.</p><hr/><p>He woke up to the blare of his alarm, and he strained. The weight of the red-haired woman's head, leaning against his chest already made him claustrophobic. Her soft puffs of breath as she continued to sleep, her arm draped across his waist...</p><p>Enishi's lips curled into a downward frown.</p><p>Never the one to cuddle he slipped out of bed. Throwing on his boxers, he exited the room, leaving the woman to sleep by herself.</p><p>She should have left last night, anyway. But for some reason, he was too troubled to argue. He was also too exhausted. Last night was strange, for he suffered a case of temporary <em>impotence</em>:</p><p>He could not bring himself to harden, and so he just gave up and allowed the woman release by his manual ministrations.</p><p>He scowled.</p><p>It all started yesterday, as they stood by the outdoor deck of the coffee shop, waiting for their order.</p><p>"<em>The winds have been warmer now," his blue-eyed friend said, tilting her head towards the direction of the wind. She smiled, brushing the strands of hair that had strayed to her face. "Hello, summer!"</em></p><p>
  <em>He chuckled, as her gaze wandered back to the nearby boardwalk. Filled with people, more so as the amusement park's rides had finally opened.</em>
</p><p>"<em>How long are you planning to stay?" He suddenly asked, out of the blue.</em></p><p>"<em>I don't know," she answered, "I haven't really made any plans yet, leaving or staying. Perhaps until either Sano or Misao kicks me out?" she joked, but then a distant sound suddenly caught their attention.</em></p><p>
  <em>It was the blare of a boat's horn.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her eyes remained trained towards the entirety of the open ocean.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Or..." a wistful smile fell on her lips, "Until home calls me back."</em></p><p>He stepped out of the balcony of his penthouse, the dawn barely hauling in light. The stars had not even receded. Enishi stared into the infinite horizon of the ocean, wondering in silence.</p><p>What did she see that had her enamored so much?</p><p>Was it just the lull of the distant spindrifts, or was it something much deeper?</p><p>He had never been the philosophic type, and his romanticism seemed frightfully out of character. But it was at that moment, as the man stood alone, and the moonlight struck the glistening waves beyond his gaze, he would have realized with much disappointment:</p><p>That from this point on, he will never look at the sea the same way again.</p><hr/><p>"You've been awfully quiet today," he stood behind her as she dug her bare feet in the sand, stepping out of the deck. She was smiling to herself, looking truly delighted at the feel of the grit on her skin.</p><p>"Just enjoying the familiarity," she wiggled her toes in the white sand, "You should try this sometime."</p><p>"I would have, but my hands are full."</p><p>She looked back and tilted her head at him playfully. He was clad in his usual suit and tie, expensive leather shoes crunching the sand, his left hand holding his coffee, and his right holding hers. "What a good friend you are," She beamed at him brightly,</p><p>and he gave her a dry chuckle.</p><p>Kaoru turned back to the seascape, preoccupying herself with the random people, lazing on the beach at a distance.</p><p>"I'm used to the feeling of sand under my feet." He kept a secret gaze at her dark hair. It looked like an illusion, shimmering under the sun, tousled by the wind. It was a sharp contrast to the softness of the marble-white coat slung on her shoulder.</p><p>"So am I," she hummed, "But I never tire of it."</p><p>A long moment of silence followed as their thoughts absorbed them both.</p><p>"Kaoru," he started, "Tomorrow, they're opening this new ride—"</p><p>"I don't think I can continue doing this," she suddenly said.</p><p>Enishi froze.</p><p>"The past few days made me realize… we can't keep on seeing each other this way." She tucked her hair behind her ear, and she turned to him, a most beautiful smile on her lips:</p><p>"Enishi, we need to put an end to this."</p><hr/><p>She turned her tranquil gaze back towards the sea, yet the man remained frozen.</p><p>All he could think of was how his gut twisted terribly, and how his heart lurched in his chest as she continued to speak.</p><p>"You might see me as selfish," she laughed softly, "But I think what I'm asking of you is reasonable enough—"</p><p>"No."</p><p>Her gaze snapped up, and she spun to look at him. Caught off guard from his sudden rebuke, she had not noticed both their coffees were a mess, on the sand, by his feet.</p><p>"No?"</p><p>Disappointment leaked in her one-word question. She clenched the sides of her dress in fluster.</p><p>"No." Enishi repeated, quite harshly it made her jump. "At this point..." his face was unreadable, as cold as stone, "How can I possibly agree."</p><p>She bit her lip and tore her gaze away, turning towards the sea, anywhere, away from him.</p><p>Bewildered by his sudden anger, his biting words. He had never been this cold, but then again, how well would you have known a person in one measly month? Besides, why did he sound so angry?</p><p>"I just think this is getting exhausting," she argued, a heavy mix of embarrassment and frustration spreading on her cheeks, "I mean... we've been meeting each other, an hour a day, for a month now..."</p><p>"I can't."</p><p>Oh, how she burned in shame, but she decided to fight herself, "I know this is asking too much of you, and I know you're always busy—"</p><p>"Won't happen," he dismissed, and the more he pushed against her, the more determined she became. They had not both realized he was taking hesitant steps towards her.</p><p>"I don't want to be in the way of your usual routine…"</p><p>"Kaoru." He snapped, his hand unconsciously reaching towards the woman. She was only inches away before he could seize her and—</p><p>"But at the same time, I kind of want to see you, more than one hour a day..." she suddenly said, and Enishi stiffened, his hand freezing mid-air.</p><p>"So I think it's reasonable enough... to ask you if we can stop seeing each other this way. Spending one-hour lunch breaks with you, as pleasant as they are... I sometimes feel as if I'm in a game show, aye? Where the host puts on that dreaded time clock, and you're forced to answer before your time runs out..." she shook her head, "I <em>dinnae ken</em>, I'm sorry to be rambling, I always do this when I'm nervous…" she held her breath, "But it's up to you.</p><p>I was thinking…</p><p>Aside from this one hour... maybe something more?</p><p>That is, of course, if you want to see me too...?"</p><p>She turned, and she watched in curiosity: his back was turned against her, Kaoru could not see his face. However, his head was tilted up to the sky, his eyes covered by the shade of his hair.</p><p>He remained motionless, as if he had frozen in place.</p><p>"Enishi... are you alright?"</p><p>It took him quite a while, but he answered. "I thought I had a heart attack."</p><p>Her eyes widened in alarm. "What?!"</p><p>Kaoru stepped towards him in reflex, reaching out. But he suddenly turned, and he met her halfway, his hands seizing her. "Eh..."</p><p>"You're a strange one," he said, the tight hold to her wrists feeling oddly possessive.</p><p>She could not decide whether to feel flustered from his proximity or retort at his bizarre comment.</p><p>"Here," he withdrew one hand, the free one disappearing into his pocket. He pulled out a small item, and he placed it in her hand.</p><p>She looked up at him dryly. "How fitting. Your business card?"</p><p>He snorted in amusement. "So impatient." He released her, and he grabbed a pen from his breast pocket. Then he took her hand with the card and scribbled, supporting it with his free hand. "This is my home phone," he wrote another set, "This is my personal mobile." He would have stopped, but, "This is my office phone. It goes directly to my desk. My Personal Secretary automatically screens calls to this number, but just tell her your name. You should have no problem going through."</p><p>She stepped back, looking at his numbers quite reverently. "Wait," she looked at him skeptically, "Earlier you were against the idea of—"</p><p>"I misunderstood," he quickly dismissed as he paused. He fought the urge to cringe on the ground, recalling the horrible feeling from earlier. May he never feel that way again... "So where is yours?"</p><p>She gave him a puzzled look.</p><p>"Your number," he clarified.</p><p>"Oh!" she blanched, "I don't... I don't have one."</p><p>He gave her a raised brow.</p><p>"It's true. I don't have a mobile phone." She said shyly, "We didn't really need such technology back home... and so I never bothered." She was quiet, and he was about to call her out on her apparent lie when—</p><p>"But I can give you Misao's home phone, and Sano's, too. I might have to lie to them about your identity, though. They're very protective. It's frightening..." she muttered the last sentence under her breath, hoping he would not hear. But she brightened again, "You can call me there in the evenings or leave me a voice message. I'll definitely call you back."</p><p>She smiled at him brightly, and so he never pressed the subject about her mobile number again.</p><hr/><p>Enishi remained in a relatively good mood for the rest of the day, but he fell into a bothersome pattern in the afternoon. He kept on checking the screen of his mobile phone every ten minutes, waiting for it to light up with an unknown number.</p><p>Then he would ask Hiyoko if she received any calls from a certain Ms. Kamiya, and she would give him a teasing grin. <em>"Yes!"</em> she would say, lighting up. <em>"Wait, no." she would follow, relishing in the way her boss looked absolutely tortured, "It's from Jim, the IT guy..."</em></p><p>At the end of the day, he rushed home and barged towards the kitchen counter like a madman, activating the speakerphone. Enishi ended up reviewing all thirty-five fucking messages, none of which carried the familiar voice of his quite infuriating friend.</p><p>Miffed from the royal waste of time, he showered and started to prepare his dinner. He glanced at the clock and stared rather pointedly towards the two phones on the counter.</p><p>Turning the gas to low heat on the gas range, he lifted his home receiver and dialed.</p><p>The other end picked up after one ring. "Sagara residence, Kaoru speaking."</p><p>"Just my luck," He could almost hear his own sarcasm leak through his voice. "Coincidence?"</p><p>"I have an extension in my room," she paused, her tone quite sheepish, "And I was kind of waiting for your call," she finally admitted, "The whole afternoon, to be honest..."</p><p>"You could have called me first." The man tried to sound nonchalant, trying to forget that he, too, had been waiting like a pathetic loser for her call.</p><p>"I didn't want to infringe on your work. You seem like you're an important man in your company..."</p><p>"I'm in a position where I can excuse myself in most meetings to take a call," he turned the flame up, stirring in broth and white wine into the rice. "Otherwise I could delegate my tasks,"</p><p>"Please don't!" she stressed, "I don't want to get you in trouble with your boss,"</p><p>Enishi chuckled.</p><p>He <em>is</em> the boss,</p><p>Then again, she didn't need to know that yet. Hearing her fret and fuss over him seemed more appealing at the moment.</p><p>"You cooking something?" she sought, "What is it?"</p><p>"Risotto."</p><p>"Sounds fancy," she said distractedly. He could hear a rustle of papers on the other line. There were scritches of pen to paper, and he could hear her curse softly. Kaoru turned a couple more pages until, "Sounds fancy," she repeated, shifting her attention back to him, as if she had never been distracted, "I wish I knew how to cook."</p><p>Hiyoko's earlier remark about <em>Idle Rich</em> came into his mind, <em>"Either that, or she's hiding something," </em>He could almost hear her say.</p><p>But who was he to judge the culinary skills of a twenty-year-old? Enishi pulled the skillet out of the flame and transferred the food to the plate. With his wireless, he pressed the speaker button and settled it on the table, followed by his dish.</p><p>"Am I bothering you?" Kaoru asked, "Should I call you back later?"</p><p>"No, it's fine." He started to work through his meal. "Did you have dinner yet?"</p><p>"I did. Megumi came home early. That's my life, <em>aye</em>... relying on others to cook for me. I couldn't boil an egg if my life depended on it..." she could almost imagine him smirking at her domestic inadequacy, "Ah, who taught you to cook?"</p><p>"My sister." He said distractedly.</p><p>The white-haired man looked at his clock, making certain he had not missed the evening news. He planned to end the phone call once it started, yet he ended up leaving the speaker on as she turned her own TV on, tuning in to the same channel. Enishi could still hear papers rustling on the other line. She was preoccupied with something else. Yet whenever he made a little comment or remark, she would answer promptly, as if she were beside him.</p><p>Eight o'clock stretched to the hour of nine, until it might have been ten, but he would not know for he already stopped checking.</p><p>"The phone feels hot on my ears," she complained.</p><p>"Put it on speaker, idiot." He answered, clicking away at his laptop. They fell into the same peppered conversations, and he was able to go through half of his unread inbox when,</p><p>"Is that the crashing of the waves I hear?" she yawned, and Enishi paused his work, taking his glasses off and placing them on the table.</p><p>"Yes. I'm on the patio right now, checking my emails." He trained his eyes to the view of the night sky and the sea.</p><p>"How nice, you live by the shoreline?" She hummed softly.</p><p>He merely grunted in response, and she suddenly fell quiet. For long moments she stayed silent, until he checked the time on his laptop.</p><p>11:30.</p><p>The peaceful quiet remained on the other line.</p><p>"Goodnight to you, too." The corner of his lips tilted upward, and he set the receiver face down the table to finish his work.</p><p>He did not hang up,</p><p>careful not to wake her up with the blare of the busy tone if he did.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <em>v.</em>
</p><hr/><p>She did not hang up,</p><p>Careful not to wake him up too early with the blare of the busy tone if she did.</p><p>That was how he found himself again, bleary-eyed as he sat up from the bed, the phone receiver hot on the mattress.</p><p>"Are you awake?" she asked from the other line.</p><p>"Barely."</p><p>She rewarded him with a soft laugh. "Watch the sunrise with me."</p><p>Peeling himself off from the comforts of his sheets he stood, tensing his muscles awake. His eyes swept to the bedside clock. It was five-forty, twenty minutes shy from his usual set alarm at six. His gaze drifted to the patio.</p><p>It was still dark, but a golden-red line was peeking over the horizon. "How are you able to do this?" he opened the sliding doors, the cool morning breeze hitting his skin. Enishi looked back into the room, contemplating whether to grab a shirt and toss it over his person or not.</p><p>"Do what?" she asked.</p><p>"Wake up, right before the sun rises." He decided to ditch the idea. The climate was tolerable, and now that the golden-red had spilled into the sky, he momentarily forgot everything else. The rays' warmth had started to touch everything it could reach, spreading in him with a pleasant warmth.</p><p>"Instinct, I guess?" Kaoru answered, and they both fell silent as the sun finally emerged from the horizon, ripe to start another day. "Ah, good Morning, Enishi."</p><p>He smiled. "Good morning."</p><p>"See you later?"</p><p>He could almost see the smile behind her voice. He did not usually answer her at this point, but he knew she took his silence as a yes. Then she would either yawn or moan from a satisfying stretch, and it would be then that she would hang up.</p><p>It had been their new routine now, since his first phone call two weeks ago.</p><p>They would stay on the line, talking about trivial things until she fell asleep. He would never hang up, though, and inevitably it would end up with him falling asleep as well.</p><p>Then she would wake up before him, always, before him, and wait until he roused. <em>"I didn't want to wake you prematurely,"</em> she would say, <em>"I know the busy tone can really sound intrusive."</em></p><p>Enishi lowered the phone from his ears and leaned completely against the railing, staring quietly into the sunrise. From his room, the obnoxious sound of his alarm blared off, but he snubbed it, his mind lost in a temporary world of its own.</p><hr/><p>Irish Gaelic.</p><p>He only figured out during one of his lunch breaks, when she happily raised a rather indulgent milkshake that he bought for her to try, and she gave him a hearty "<em>Slainte Mhath!"</em></p><p>He recognized, only because he had heard it ever so often during business trips to Ireland and Scotland, in personal meetings with some clients.</p><p>Since then he had familiarized himself with her short phrases of surprise, her little slips of her guarded consciousness. In rare moments of genuine disappointment, she would revert to her native tongue and utter out a few curse words, but she would catch herself and instantly fall silent. With a fierce blush to her cheeks, she would peek shyly at him from the corner of her eyes.</p><p>He would pretend not to hear, so much as understand.</p><p>Relief would flood into her being, and this would never fail to amuse him.</p><p>Just as what was happening now, in their usual Sunday Morning meet, where they got to try out the new ride the beach's amusement park had to offer: The Ferris Wheel.</p><p>"<em>Mallacht mo chait ort!" </em>She exclaimed as they descended the ride, looking as white as a sheet, "I thought I was going to die!"</p><p>"Most people find it relaxing," Enishi looked coy, which she immediately caught.</p><p>She squeezed the arm that she had been clinging on much too tight. "<em>Nách mór an diabhal thú?!" </em>She huffed, looking away.</p><p>Yet she still did not let go of him.</p><p>"Since I have no idea what you're talking about, I'll assume you're saying you had the time of your life, and you can't wait to hop on to the next ride—"</p><p>"Enishi!" she poked him on the ribs. She made a motion to pull away from him, but his arm clamped her hand, securing their contact in place.</p><p>"Hey," he coaxed.</p><p>She looked up at him trustingly, and without any words shared, she smiled.</p><hr/><p>"Where is home?" he asked, one clear Sunday morning. She blushed a bit and looked away, ashamed more than anything.</p><p> </p><p>"You wouldn't want to know." Kaoru shyly peeked from behind long lashes, studying his profile carefully.</p><p>"Try me." he challenged, momentarily preoccupied with something.</p><p>Stylish sports attire, his hair slicked back in place instead of his usual tousled locks, there was one of those new earphone things on his ear blinking red as he deactivated the Bluetooth on his phone.</p><p>He looked like a man of the modern world, and he did not see her quietly withdraw.</p><p>"No, it's a totally different one... your world and mine." She said almost ruefully.</p><p>He picked the device out of his ear and he tucked it away in his pocket, having finished a quick email to his client. "You were saying?" he brought his attention back to her, uncertain of what he said.</p><p>But he definitely heard it, and it struck him odd. He glanced at her to confirm.</p><p>She was smiling at him as if it never happened.</p><p>"You spoil me too much," she said, as she stared at the delightful plate of waffles set before her. "Your friends are fortunate to have you."</p><p>"Hn," Enishi only grunted in response, poking at his food. He was not stingy, but he would not dare admit he was only this generous to <em>her</em>. "Did you need more syrup?" he regretted not probing, but it was clear she did not want to follow through with the issue.</p><p>She nodded. They waited for a bit for the server to look their way, but it was all in vain since it was busy. The white-haired man stood from his chair and approached the bright, sunny counter, unaware of her blue eyes, quietly trailing his form.</p><p>The cashier handed him a small pitcher. Enishi made his way back, only to bump against a smaller figure.</p><p>"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" bright green eyes clashed against his, and the unknown woman fussed over his tracksuit. It was splayed with maple syrup everywhere,</p><p>"No problem," he tried to wave her off, but she distressed even more, grabbing some napkins from a nearby table and wiping him off.</p><p>"Seriously," she said, coming too close into his personal space.</p><p>Enishi's gaze flicked to the table where Kaoru sat. She was watching the whole petty ordeal with an unreadable expression on her face.</p><p>He grabbed the unknown woman's wrists and locked his gaze. "Stop." The woman halted. She looked up at him, "No problem," he repeated, releasing her to get back to his friend.</p><p>But the hand on his chest lingered, "You're such a gentleman," she offered him a flirtatious grin, "Most people would have been annoyed."</p><p>Enishi shook his head. "No big deal, clothes can be washed." He said flatly, turning to leave.</p><p>"Wait!" the woman called out, and she slipped a small piece of paper in the chest pocket of his tracksuit. "It's pretty rare to find people like you. Maybe we can hang out some time?"</p><p>From which his blue-eyed friend stood up, and she promptly left.</p><p>"Hey!" Enishi called out, and he ran after Kaoru. She was walking faster than normal, and she was not looking back. "You left your food out there," he tried, but she merely huffed. "That's a perfect ten-dollar waffle you're leaving behind."</p><p>Bumping against the crowd, it was obvious she was navigating <em>away</em> from him. From her petite stature, she was doing a good job.</p><p>He suddenly stopped. "Kaoru."</p><p>In the middle of the moving crowd, she was rooted to her spot.</p><p>"What's happening?" His words came out like a plea, more than anything.</p><p>She spun around to see him with his shoulders slacked. He was genuinely bewildered. She stared at him for quite a long time, until her gaze suddenly softened and she heaved a sigh.</p><p>"I apologize," she cast her gaze down, "It seems I forgot something." Kaoru rubbed her exposed shoulders, seeking comfort from her familiar white coat. But it was not there. She was without one this Sunday morning. She shook her head as if she could shake whatever thought there was away, "I'll try to keep it in mind now, yes?" she brightened.</p><p>"Keep what in mind?" he frowned, at the same time relieved to see her cheerfulness return. Seeing her rub her shoulders, he automatically took his syrup-covered jacket off and draped it over her.</p><p>"You shouldn't be too sweet to me," she muttered under her breath, laughing softly, "Or else I get used to it, and I become too selfish."</p><p>His brows scrunched together, now utterly confused. "What?"</p><p>"That you're a decent man," she said, talking more loudly now. She took off his jacket and handed it back to him, "And it shows, with the way you deal with everyone else."</p><p>He would have prodded her to keep it, but she gave him a reassuring smile, and he gave in, assuming that everything was back to normal.</p><hr/><p>"Definitely jealous." Hiyoko deadpanned, from which his white-haired boss looked pointedly at him and frowned. "What?"</p><p>"Impossible." Her boss's lips pursed into a tight line. "She never said so."</p><p>"<em>You shouldn't be too sweet to me, or else I become too selfish</em>?" The secretary repeated Kaoru's words, and Enishi fell silent. "<em>You're a decent man, and that's how you deal with everyone else</em>." The effeminate man slammed her fist on his desk like a gavel. "That's female language for <em>'You treat everyone this way, I shouldn't get ahead of myself.'"</em></p><p>From the corner of the room, another subordinate shifted. "In short," Inui cut in, "<em>'Holy shit, I forgot you're not my boyfriend'</em>!"</p><p>The two snorted, and they ended up exploding into laughter. Their white-haired boss threw them a death glare.</p><p>"So did you end up apologizing?" Hiyoko stopped herself before Enishi could act on his seemingly murderous thoughts.</p><p>"Apologize?" Her boss scowled, "For what?"</p><p>"For flirting with another woman while on your date!" she rolled her eyes.</p><p>"I wasn't flirting with anyone."</p><p>The secretary looked at him dryly. "Really."</p><p>A heavy hand settled on Enishi's shoulder, "Let's look at it this way. How would you feel if a young man slipped her his number in the middle of your date, and she doesn't refuse him?"</p><p>Enishi leaned against his chair, acting unruffled. Normally,<em> especially</em>, in the past, he wouldn't give a fuck. "She could do whatever she wants." He stopped, realizing such words left a bad taste in his mouth.</p><p>"Well," Hiyoko shrugged, "She's just a fling, anyway."</p><p>"A <em>three-month</em> fling," Inui corrected. "Her sex must be pretty darn good to keep the boss's interest until this point."</p><p>"Actually," Hiyoko lifted a finger, "He hasn't fucked her yet. Didn't kiss her, even,"</p><p>The pen that Inui had been holding fell to the table, and the subordinate gaped.</p><p>Enishi took his glasses off and massaged the bridge of his nose. "If the two of you don't shut up—" he lifted his gaze back to the clock, and he sighed. Rising from his chair he took his suit and phone from the table and straightened his tie.</p><p>"Say hello to Ms. Kaoru for us!" Hiyoko waved happily as he headed out.</p><hr/><p>She was not there.</p><p>The man could not describe the unknown <em>discomfort</em> he felt as he sat, waiting. She might have been late, (but it usually happened the other way around,) and so he opted to wait a little longer. But it came past his hour of return, yet no blue-eyed woman appeared.</p><p>Thinking she might be caught in something important, Enishi decided to let it pass.</p><p>"<em>She's punishing you,"</em> Hiyoko teased, sensing him more cranky than usual, "<em>Your fault. You acted as if flirting with someone else was nothing."</em></p><p>Annoyed at being stood up, and too prideful to admit it had affected him, the white-haired man shrugged it off. There was nothing to apologize to her for, and they were most definitely not in a relationship.</p><p>But his mind gradually gave in to expressing regret when the hours flew by and there was no word from her. Minutes ticked to hours, and it came to a point where he decided he would call her, the moment he got home.</p><p>"<em>You have reached the Shinomori's voice mailbox. The mailbox is full, and is not able to accept new messa—"</em></p><p>He hung up.</p><p>The man dialed her cousin's residence, but no one picked up. Heaving a frustrated breath, he decided to continue his routine and watch the evening news.</p><p>But he found he could not concentrate.</p><p>He was so distracted he did not bother to read through his emails, and he finally gave up and flung himself to bed.</p><p>The crashing of the waves was all he could hear.</p><p>It was going to be a long night.</p><hr/><p>"What happened to <em>you</em>?" Hiyoko's brow raised as she handed her boss a stack of papers to review and sign. "You look like you got run over by a train."</p><p>"None of your business." He took the effeminate Secretary's offer and started the first page.</p><p>"Oh my," she cackled, delighted, "She ignored your call, didn't she?"</p><p>Enishi's glare was as piercing as a thousand daggers, which she absolutely enjoyed. "Awww, how cute! Your first official '<em>fight</em>'!"</p><p>"We're not—"</p><p>"Say, boss, I have to hand it to that girl. For being a <em>non-girlfriend</em>, she sure has you on your tippy-toes... maybe her little punishment should serve as a lesson for you to get off your ass and fucking <em>ask her out</em>?"</p><p>"That woman should be the one to apologize. This is ridiculous and petty—"</p><p>"And it's working." His secretary gave him a teasing grin, "Oh, it's working, alright. Don't you see how pathetic you look right now?!"</p><p>"Proceed any further and I'll make sure you won't be smiling when you see your bank statement."</p><p>That immediately wiped out the leer off her face. As if on cue, the phone on his suite rang, and Hiyoko cleared her throat and excused herself to answer it.</p><p>"Boss, phone call for you." She said from the end of her corner.</p><p>He felt as if something leaped into his throat when his secretary transferred the call, and he didn't hide the urgency of his tone when he answered.</p><p>"Kaoru." He said, almost demanded.</p><p>The woman from the other line laughed demurely. "I'm so sorry, dear brother. It's just me."</p><p>"Tomoe," he let out an audible breath, unaware of how disappointed he sounded.</p><p>"Ah, you're normally ecstatic to get a phone call from me," she prodded sweetly, "I guess I've been finally ousted off my throne?"</p><p>Enishi chuckled dryly, unamused.</p><p>"So Kaoru, huh?" She bemused, "Isn't she the strange girl you met by the coffee shop? It's been roughly three months," Tomoe paused, then she gasped. "Please tell me you've found <em>'The One'</em>?"</p><p>The young man sighed. His sister, always the hopeless romantic. "If this is nothing direly important, you can text me like you always have." He scanned his cellphone and reviewed the last text message he received from her <em>ten minutes ago</em>. "I'm waiting for a call,"</p><p>"Oh, right. You might miss Kaoru's call..." she teased. Sensing his protest she rushed, "I just wanted to hear your voice. I was trying to call you during your off-hours, but your home phone is always busy. I figured you probably talk to her through the night until you both fall asleep, yes?"</p><p>Enishi was starting to fluster, "That is not—"</p><p>"Anyway, I'm glad you're settling down. It's high time you give your nephew a cousin..."</p><p>"What—"</p><p>"I want to meet my future <em>sister-in-law</em> pretty soon. We're planning to visit there in two months. Oh, the soup is boiling over! I better go! Text you later, and make sure you answer me, alright?"</p><p>His sister hung up, and Enishi crumpled on his desk. At least it was almost lunch break, and he had the comfort of knowing that a familiar blue-eyed woman might be waiting for him in the bright coffee shop, offering him her warm smile.</p><hr/><p>He tried to distract himself with blocks of texts and charts.</p><p>It was late at night, he was buried in paperwork, and his Personal Secretary peered over his desk in concern.</p><p>"You should go home." She offered. Hiyoko knew from her boss's looks that Miss Kaoru was not in the coffee shop again and had not called him at all.</p><p>"If you're agreeable to reviewing these alone," Enishi started, "Otherwise, I'll stay until we're done."</p><p>His secretary snorted.</p><p>"You usually don't care about me," she waited, and finally shrugged from his lack of response. "Boss. I can email you these documents, and you can just review it at home... <em>like you normally do.</em>" She emphasized the last part. "Besides," she paused, "She might be calling you there as we speak."</p><p>Enishi paused, considering. "She could have called here, or my cellphone, if I didn't answer." He continued poring through the documents, scribbling into the paper with his angry red pen. "That woman. Making me go through unnecessary stress..."</p><p>"What if..." His secretary started, "What if this wasn't a petty little punishment?" Her boss was focused on his notes, unflustered. "What if she just... disappeared, and you wouldn't know when you'd see her again?</p><p>Just like what happened two years ago?"</p><p>Enishi completely stopped writing, and the grip to his pen tightened.</p><p>A long silence passed them both.</p><p>"It's not going to happen." He said, and the suddenness of his answer made her jump.</p><p>The silence was heavy in the room, the ticking clock's sound the only thing resonant in the large suite. Moonlight spilled into the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, striking his hair a magnificent silver.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>The silence was unnerving.</p><p>"Because I will find her, and I will make certain she won't—"</p><p>A shrill ring echoed into the suite, startling them both. Enishi's glance swept to his cellphone as its screen lit up, displaying an unknown number.</p><p>Slowly he reached out, and with one last look to his Secretary, he answered the call.</p><p>"Enishi?"</p><p>The hardened look on her boss' face softened, and his shoulders slumped, relaxed. As if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders, he breathed.</p><p>"Kaoru."</p><p>"I tried calling your home, but it went to voice mail."</p><p>"I'm working late." He said, throwing a glare at his Secretary.</p><p>She pretended to turn away and busy herself with the paperwork. He swiveled his chair away and stood, walking up to the glass panels that offered him the nighttime view.</p><p>"Oh, alright. I'll call you back,"</p><p>"Don't hang up."</p><p>"No, I don't want to bother you—"</p><p>"Spare me from this unjustified misery, woman." He tucked a hand in his pocket, his eyes trailing to the city lights and the glistening seascape ahead. The distant waves shimmered from afar. "I never reached out to that girl in the first place."</p><p>"Eh?" she dared to act oblivious.</p><p>"I threw away the paper. I even threw away that damn tracksuit,</p><p>if it makes you happy."</p><p>Hiyoko's brows shot up. The silence of the suite was enough to hear their conversation.</p><p>"What are you talking about—"</p><p>"I'm miserable," he finally said, "Been miserable the past two days. Satisfied? Now stop these childish antics."</p><p>The Secretary could see his jaw tighten in restraint. Hiyoko tried so hard to suppress her smirk, but she had failed.</p><p>Kaoru on the other line fell silent. Then she cleared her throat... "Are you saying... that you miss me?"</p><p>Enishi's cheeks flushed, and he suddenly fell into defensive mode. "It's not about missing you or—"</p><p>"I know, I'm just kidding...you seem so tense." She giggled, "Anyway, we arrived safely at the hotel."</p><p>He stiffened. "Hotel?"</p><p>"You forgot?"</p><p>Silence.</p><p>"I told you we were planning a road trip to this resort town up in the mountains, you know, the one with the large lake?" she said, "You even said you've been in the area before, many times..."</p><p>Enishi paused to ruminate. Then he finally remembered, "Yes, but only in the winter to ski."</p><p>She did mention they were taking a "road trip" that would take roughly two days to their destination, with all the stops they were planning along the way, a sleep-over at her other cousin Yahiko's place, and multiple tourist destinations.</p><p>He wasn't aware it would happen soon, though.</p><p>"Ah, but it's wonderful here in the summer, too." She sighed dreamily, "Your country is so big and beautiful, and it's just one State!" She was momentarily quiet. "I was tempted to go ahead and use Misao's cellphone to call you while on the road, or in one of our stops. But I didn't... you have no idea how hard it was!"</p><p>"<em>I'll try not to call you," he recalled her saying worriedly, "At least until we get to the resort. I'm sure there's a landline in my room. Can't risk having your number stored in one of their phones. I already lied to them about your identity," she blushed a bit, biting on her bottom lip.</em></p><p>The man sighed. Fully appeased, he ran his fingers through his hair, releasing his tense thoughts. "Call me whenever you have to. Use any phone you can."</p><p>"But I might forget to erase your number?!" she fussed, "I'm still not familiar with how cellphones work... for sure they'll save your contact, and you might end up in an hour-long interrogation... eh, maybe longer..."</p><p>He chuckled. "I don't mind."</p><p>"Careful what you wish for," She huffed on the other line. "Enishi, I have to hang up. Misao is knocking, we might be out very late to watch a concert at the outdoor arena,"</p><p>"Have fun," he said. "Will you call me when it's over?"</p><p>"You seem to have had an exhausting day today. Don't worry about me. I'm with my extended family. I'll be safe. You need to go straight home and get some rest. I'll call you in the morning, yes?"</p><p>He remained silent.</p><p>"I promise," she reassured.</p><p>"Fine," he conceded, and she laughed softly.</p><p>"Good night, Enishi. Get some sleep. You're getting too ornery now."</p><p>"Kaoru," he cut in, "Before you hang up, can I ask you something?"</p><p>"Sure," In the background, he could hear the nonstop knocking on the door.</p><p>"Just... what did you mean by you <em>'lied'</em> to them about me?"</p><p>She fell silent. The knocking became more impatient, "I'll be there in a minute!" Kaoru yelled out, and she paused, hesitating.</p><p>"Kaoru?"</p><p>"Remember when I said they watch over me like a hawk?" she said sheepishly.</p><p>"And...?"</p><p>"I... kind of told them that you..." she cleared her throat, "I told them that you... you were..." She heaved a breath of courage, "I told them you were my <em>boyfriend</em>..." she laughed nervously, as the silence on the other end was deafening. "Sorry! I needed to. Before you kill me, know that it would be the only way they wouldn't question us talking over the phone the whole night.</p><p>I really must go now. Sleep well, Enishi." she bid,</p><p>and the dreaded busy tone took over.</p><p>The man lowered the phone from his ear, and his glance swept to his Secretary.</p><p>"Congratulations," Hiyoko smirked, raising her hands in an overly dramatic gesture, "You have just unlocked the '<em>Clingy Boyfriend' </em>achievement!"</p><p>Enishi frowned, slipping his cellphone in his pocket. "You look like an idiot."</p><p>"Oh? I forgot you're not her actual 'boyfriend,' eh?" she folded her arms, "Well she sounds like a nice girl. Will you let me know when you're done with her? I've got lonely friends who could certainly use her company—"</p><p>"No." He dismissed. He took his suit from the back of his chair and opened his drawer to grab his keys.</p><p>"Where are you going?"</p><p>"Home," he snapped, "I need some sleep."</p><p>The Secretary's lips pulled upward in a knowing grin. "What happened to '<em>staying until we're done</em>?"</p><p>"E-mail me the rest of the documents. I'll finish it from home," he looked at her sarcastically, <em>"Like I normally do." </em>He turned to leave when Hiyoko called out,</p><p>"Enishi!"</p><p>Her boss spared her a sidelong glare.</p><p>"Seriously, she sounds like a nice girl. Two days without her, and you already look like a lost puppy.</p><p>Seeing that, I'm sure she wouldn't need any help in catching someone else's attention." She wiggled her brows, a scheming grin on her lips, "She's not exclusive to you anyway, eh?</p><p>Then nothing should hold her back if she meets someone else."</p><p>Enishi stared at the door blankly, an inscrutable expression on his face. "I am aware of that." he finally said.</p><p>"Just saying." she shrugged, "Don't want you to run out of time."</p><p>She watched him as he made his quiet exit.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>vi.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"I'm sorry to be calling you so suddenly, in the middle of the day..." she was breathless, "but I had to ask."</p><p>"Go ahead," he guided.</p><p>"Before anything else, am I interrupting something?"</p><p>He paused, his dark eyes sweeping across the table. Before him were his business-clad executives, mainly his subordinates, talking to each other or busy with their phones and coffee. He adjusted his Bluetooth pods and unmuted them. "Nothing of consequence," he looked away, his eyes settling on the baristas at the counter. "I'm at my lunch break."</p><p>"I was thinking of texting you, but I kind of needed the answer right away," she huffed from the other side. He could almost imagine her flustered. The man glanced at his screen.</p><p>"Whose number is this?" he opened his save contacts, preparing an open slot.</p><p>"Misao's," she answered, and he immediately hit the save button. "Enishi, this isn't anything between life and death," she said reluctantly, "Actually, this might come across as really silly..."</p><p>He remained patiently quiet, which she took as a cue to continue.</p><p>"Ah... I was going to ask if you don't mind...</p><p>Is your favorite color, by any chance... <em>blue</em>?"</p><p>He fell silent, much as she expected.</p><p>"Hey," she croaked, sounding quite embarrassed when he started to chuckle.</p><p>He hummed, much amused by the spontaneous question. "So why are you calling me?"</p><p>She gasped, and she burst into peals of laughter. "It's blue, isn't it? I knew it!"</p><p>He could not help the smile tugging at his lips. "You sound so pleased with yourself."</p><p>"I had a feeling you were a blue kind of person," she started eagerly, "I see the way your mood brightens up when you watch the sky, or the ocean with me, so I figured, you must like blue, as do I..."</p><p>"Kaoru," he chuckled at the thought. His mood was considerably better at said times, but for a different reason... and it was <em>not</em> because he liked the color blue. He settled his gaze outside to the nearby beach, a hollow feeling tugging in the back of his thoughts. "Yes. Blue is my favorite color. What about it?"</p><p>"Well, just wanted to confirm. Talk to you later!"</p><p>As quickly as she dropped by, she left. He sat in silence, shifting here and there, quite restless as he attempted to configure the curious feeling when he heard a chuckle from across. His gaze landed on Hiyoko and his two other subordinates.</p><p>"With how miserable you look right now, why don't you just tell her?" Gein had raised a cynical brow.</p><p>Enishi raised a questioning brow of his own. "Tell her what?"</p><p>"<em>Darling,"</em> Hiyoko clasped her hands in a dramatic flair, "I miss you so bad, it physically <em>hurts</em>!" The secretary suddenly flinched, dodging a crumpled table napkin that was hurled her way.</p><p>"Idiots." The white-haired boss mumbled.</p><p>"So she called you just to ask you what your favorite color was?" The Vice President Heishin snickered. "What's that all about?"</p><p>Hiyoko from the other corner sighed, "Women don't just call for a cutesy-tootsie reason." She threw a haughty chin up the air, "My girl Kaoru's probably getting him a gift."</p><p>"Heh," Heishin smirked, "Better be some blue lingerie. For how much he likes to fuck, I bet the boss would appreciate Ms. Kaoru in—"</p><p>"Don't even go there." Enishi suddenly stood, smacking him with his coat. "Lunchtime is over. Get your thoughts out of the gutter and get back to work."</p><p>"Jeez, okay!" Heishin scoffed as they stood from the table, gathering their stuff. "Can't even let me fantasize about her. She's not your girlfriend or anyth—"</p><p>The coat was smacked again, this time by the older man Gein. "You better watch your mouth, you blockhead. Ms. Kaoru is different territory." He turned to Enishi, giving him a wink.</p><p>The young boss just sighed in defeat.</p><p>As they made their way out, a hand snaked around Enishi's arm, effectively attaching itself to him.</p><p>"Hey."</p><p>The white-haired boss looked down to see his personal secretary, holding a smug leer.</p><p>"You liar," Hiyoko said.</p><p>Enishi shrugged as he continued walking.</p><p>"I've known you since middle school." She clung to him casually, "Blue is not your favorite color. In fact, you do <em>not</em> have a favorite color." She leaned on him sweetly, relishing the fact that he stiffened under the disclosure. "You never cared about those silly little details, that sentimental shit..."</p><p>"Otawa," he said, and she grinned, for rarely did he use her last name. She broke off from his arm and looked up at him, that unreadable mask of a man:</p><p>"It's blue," he said, "From this point on."</p><p>She giggled, shaking her head in amusement. "Blue it is."</p><hr/><p>"Bad day today?" she cooed, the sound of her voice immediately relaxing his exhausted muscles. Too tired to take his coat off, he melted bonelessly on the couch, and he raked his fingers through his hair.</p><p>"My secretary caught discrepancies during the audit, and it involves Heishin's signature."</p><p>"Heishin... the Vice President?"</p><p>Enishi huffed, his fingers now massaging the bridge of his nose. "Yes."</p><p>She fell silent for a while. "Are the '<em>discrepancies'</em> significant?"</p><p>He grunted. At the situation, at himself. He really shouldn't be worrying her pretty head about such matters,</p><p>"From the length of your silence, it sounds pretty bad," She asked reluctantly, "How much is the loss?"</p><p>The young boss paused. He did not expect her to catch on so quickly, especially in the matters of finance.</p><p>"Enishi," she suddenly sought, her voice subdued. "I'm worried. Is your boss—"</p><p>He laughed despite himself. "No, I'm not in trouble with my boss. I won't get reprimanded either." Enishi almost forgot. She was still completely unaware of his position in the company, and the fact that <em>he</em> was the boss.</p><p>He brought his thoughts to his VP. If anything, Heishin was the one in deep trouble. The scumbag had secretly signed off a significant amount to a remote account under the pretense of a new investment, which they found out to be a fake one.</p><p>Enishi wanted to deal with the scam and get it over with, but they had to wait until the full investigation was complete. They couldn't let Heishin know he was under their radar, either. That damn slimeball and he even had the gall to address Kaoru in such a disgusting way—</p><p>"... and this distance between us," he suddenly caught her saying, "I am used to your silence, but it was always easier when I was beside you. Right now I<em> cannae</em> see your face, haven't a baldy notion of what you're thinking,"</p><p>A soft smile tugged at his lips. "Don't worry about me."</p><p>Silence on the other line.</p><p>"You sure?" she asked reluctantly.</p><p>"Yes, I'm sure." He heaved a breath, resting his head back on the couch, a little appeased from her concern. "I can see you're using Misao's phone again,"</p><p>"Ah, yes. She's surrendered her phone and Aoshi's to my custody tonight," she giggled, "They requested to have a night of no <em>interruptions</em>..."</p><p>Enishi sighed, finally kicking his shoes off. "Facetime me?"</p><p>"Facetime?"</p><p>"It's a video call," He slid off his black coat, "If you can see a camera icon on the bottom right of the screen, click on that and it should open."</p><p>"Eh? And we'll be able to see each other?!" she suddenly fell silent, "That's amazing and all, but..." her voice was getting smaller and smaller... "Uh, can we do it tomorrow..."</p><p>"Why?" he tried to sound nonchalant, biting off the sting of rejection,</p><p>"Well, I'm kind of... <em>not decent</em>.." she answered sheepishly.</p><p>Enishi shifted, pulling his tie loose from his neck. "You mean..?" he swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly dry.</p><p>"I just came out of the shower," she said.</p><p>Enishi cleared his throat, completely ripping the tie off his person. Dexterous fingers undid his top buttons, and his gaze traveled to the thermostat to double-check the temperature. Gods, it was getting a little bit stifling...</p><p>"Put something on," he tried, cursing himself for sounding so husky, "You'll get a cold."</p><p>"I have something on!" she defended, "Uh, I have something on," she said again, more softly this time, "I have a towel on..."</p><p>Silence. Enishi shifted from his seat, his pants were growing suspiciously tight.</p><p>"But yeah, I might get a cold.</p><p>I was dripping wet when I stepped out and answered your call—"</p><p>"Kaoru," Enishi groaned. The image of her, dripping wet with only a flimsy towel was not helping at all. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "How about you dry yourself first and call me back when you're done?"</p><p>"But—"</p><p>"I'll call you back," he shifted restlessly, "I have to get myself ready for bed as well." He hit the end call button, and he stared up at the ceiling for moments.</p><p>At least the mysterious case of his <em>temporary impotence</em> had been magically fixed, but now a growing concern presented quite obvious in his bulging pants. Will he be subject to the same suffering every night from this point on?</p><p>Enishi sighed.</p><p>He had always prided on himself and his self-control, and the first action to gain said self-control back was a ridiculously long and shockingly cold shower.</p><hr/><p>"Damn, she canceled again?" Hiyoko whistled. She reached for her croissant and took a contemplative bite.</p><p>"It doesn't surprise me," Inui commented, "Since Miss Tomoe married that Himura guy, we've been seeing less of her." His gaze shifted to his white-haired boss. "What did she say this time?"</p><p>"She'll be stuck in Japan for the next couple of weeks," Enishi answered with a scowl.</p><p>"Must be a big case, then. Her detective husband's been working on that for what... four months now?"</p><p>Enishi merely shrugged, the downward curve on his lips looking most especially becoming.</p><p>"Not to worry," Hiyoko chirped brightly, "I still look forward to a night of booze and five-star cuisine on your birthday. Your sister's absence won't abolish the fact that you'd still serve <em>Romanee-Conti </em>to your undeserving guests..."</p><p>"Speaking of which," Inui wagged his brows, "You're planning to invite Ms. Kaoru, aren't you?"</p><p>"I was taking it into consideration."</p><p>Hiyoko literally choked on her coffee. "You're joking, right?"</p><p>Dark blue eyes settled on the stunned subordinates. "About what?"</p><p>"Taking her to your birthday." She set her cup on the table, "Sure, you bring your obligatory dates in formal functions... but since when did you ever bring a woman with you to your <em>birthday party</em>?"</p><p>"The bigwigs in the corporate world will be present," Inui informed, as if their boss had just forgotten about the fact, "Oh, and your <em>father</em> will be there, too."</p><p>"Oh my," Hiyoko suddenly made a sniffling sound, "The ice prince's heart has finally melted..." she wiped the corner of her eyes dramatically, but she suddenly stopped.</p><p>Soft, pampered hands suddenly closed over Enishi's eyes from behind, covering his vision. The boss stiffened, initially annoyed at such childish antics, when suddenly the unknown presence from behind him let out soft puffs of breath from her giggle.</p><p>"Guess who?" she whispered.</p><p>Without giving him time to recover, the dainty hands withdrew, and a significant weight deposited itself beside him on the couch. As if she wasn't too close for comfort already, she wiggled herself closer to him, leaning on his side.</p><p>Enishi looked beside him to see a dark-haired female with striking amber eyes, looking up at him with a smile.</p><p>"Missed me?" she batted her lashes at him coquettishly.</p><p>"Maya." Enishi drawled. The woman laughed, hitting his shoulder.</p><p>"I don't appreciate the monotone," Maya huffed, a haughty nose up in the air. "Considering we're in town now... I told daddy I'd be out shopping today. Stopped by here only to find you." She hummed, stroking his arm suggestively. "Are you busy tonight?"</p><p>It was Inui this time who choked on his coffee. The doll-like woman glanced at the stunned audience, and shrugged.</p><p>"I can't." Enishi simply dismissed.</p><p>"Ahhw?" she purred, "You never turn me down!?"</p><p>Hiyoko from the other side launched into a coughing fit, and she raised her finger to say something when her boss shifted and said, in the most stone-faced way possible:</p><p>"I'm seeing someone right now."</p><p>The woman's pretty face crossed, and suddenly, she grabbed his tie and yanked him close, whispering into his ear: "Daddy and I are staying at the Seascape for the next three days. My room number is 25." She grinned, planting a hot kiss on his ear. The model pulled away. "Make sure you drop by, and I'll make you remember exactly why you once said I was one of the <em>best</em>."</p><p>Maya stood and waved goodbye, making sure to leave a flying kiss to the dumbfounded subordinates.</p><p>"Sheesh," Inui muttered, flopping bonelessly on his seat. "Boss, if I were you, I'd—"</p><p>Hiyoko, from beside him, suddenly gasped. Inui's gaze snapped to the Secretary, then to his white-haired boss.</p><p>Enishi had frozen in place as if he had just seen a ghost.</p><p>"What—" the confused finance manager floundered, and he spun around to see where their gazes were fixed on. It did not take a long while for him to figure it out.</p><p>Inui only recognized the woman by the glass doorway because of that one distinct detail she had been consistently described as: her impossibly blue eyes.</p><p>"Kaoru," Enishi practically jumped out of his seat,</p><p>But the girl disappeared, hastening away.</p><hr/><p>"Kaoru, wait." He called out, trying to catch up. He heaved in frustration when her steps took her faster, "Kaoru."</p><p>He was a tall man, incredibly athletic, and so a 5'1 girl like her stood no chance. He caught her by the wrist and yanked roughly, rooting her in place.</p><p>He remembered the incident with the waffles, much to his dismay. They stood like that for long moments, and he waited for her as the bustling crowd walked by. Kaoru brought the back of her hand to her eyes.</p><p>Was she wiping something away?</p><p>"Since when did you come back?" he started.</p><p>"Since an hour ago," she was clutching a small package on her free hand tight, and she refused to look at him.</p><p>The man sighed, "She was an old friend of mine—"</p><p>He stopped, aware of how incredibly lame it sounded.</p><p>"I missed your scowling face," she suddenly said, from which she spun around, and they locked eyes. There was a terrible flush of red on her cheeks, and a slight congestion to her nose. A faint sheen of reflective glimmer on her eyes, but she was smiling.</p><p>"And so I came to see if you were in your lunch break to give you this." She shoved the package against his chest, and he withdrew his grasp and received her offering. The weight of the square box was quite significant. "We were strolling around the shopping district when I saw it, and it reminded me of you."</p><p>He chuckled at the thought. Hiyoko was right, after all, about the 'gift' thing.</p><p>"I can't linger. I remembered I had to email someone about something important."</p><p>Enishi reached out to her, stepping forward. He stiffened when she retreated two steps back.</p><p>"Aye, I have to go. That email is important, I've never failed to send him one, at least once a week... he'll be very disappointed if I fail him, after all this time..." she yammered, and he took another step towards her.</p><p>A horrible sinking feeling,</p><p>when he saw her take a step back and wince.</p><p>He stared at her with a most unreadable expression on his face, and she stared back at him, as equally intense, with what could only look like <em>loneliness.</em></p><p>She heaved a breath and relaxed her shoulders. She smiled, the mere act brightening her already pretty features. Kaoru motioned to something behind him, and distracted, he turned around.</p><p>It was the city's street clock, displaying 01:30.</p><p>"Get back to work. Call me when you're home." She said, her voice suddenly very close. He spun around to verify her proximity, but the man almost staggered back. She was a breath apart from him, and she tiptoed up.</p><p>She probably intended to kiss his cheek. But with their significant height difference, she ended up planting a soft kiss on the side of his jawline, near the corner of his lips... and she stepped back, smiling.</p><p>"It's nice to see you again," she said as she ran off.</p><hr/><p>"How in the holy hells..." Misao gasped, covering her gaping mouth. "Aoshi," she called out, "Do you see any pigs flying around?!"</p><p>Kaoru pulled away from the desktop and turned to her best friend. "What happened?" she saved her e-mail draft and approached the small woman who was staring aghast at the clock.</p><p>"Can't you see what time it is?" Misao pointed to the large wall clock.</p><p>"Six-thirty?" Kaoru's brow scrunched.</p><p>"EXACTLY." She braced her hands on her best friend's shoulders. "Why are you not on the phone?"</p><p>Kaoru looked back at her in confusion.</p><p>"Normally you'd be locked in your room right now, talking to that mysterious boyfriend of yours whom, by the way, you never introduced to us." She withdrew, folding her arms in front of her, "Hah! Did you guys finally have your first disagreement!? Did he finally show his true colors to you? Based on what you said, no matter how heavily you sugar-coat him, Kaoru, once 'good-looking' and 'executive' are in the same sentence, it never, EVER leads to any good!"</p><p>Kaoru opened her mouth to protest when Aoshi peeked in the living room. "So the 'gift' was intended for him?"</p><p>"Hmph!" Misao huffed, "Augmented pen and paper... those things are expensive! How much did you pay for the blue one, Kaoru? Roughly nine hundred bucks?!"</p><p>"It's pretty useful," Aoshi shrugged, "She did say he was some kind of businessman,"</p><p>"I'm sorry, did I hear that wrong?" Misao leaned in, cupping her ear, "Did you say pretty <em>expensive</em>? And look, she's not on the phone right now. I bet he ditched her, found some supermodel floozy while she was away."</p><p>The blue-eyed woman's gaze fell to the clock, and then to the silent phone. A veil of sadness fell over her eyes, and she bit her lip.</p><p>"You guys," she let out a small puff of air before regaining her cheerful smile. "I have to finish my e-mail."</p><p>Misao and Aoshi abruptly stopped their banter, somber gaze falling on the blue-eyed woman. Kaoru smiled at them apologetically before turning back towards the guest room.</p><p>The woman sighed. Opening the desktop, her gaze wandered to the window, beyond the view of the glimmering night sea.</p><p>Tearing her eyes from the comforting sight of the waves, she brought her attention back to what she had written on the draft:</p><p>
  <strong> <em>~Though the days pass by me so swiftly, please don't ever forget,~</em> </strong>
</p><p>Kaoru positioned her fingers on the keyboard, and she continued to type:</p><p>
  <strong> <em>~I will never stop waiting. I shall wait, forever in longing, until I finally hear the familiar beckoning of The Sea.~</em> </strong>
</p><p>Tears ran unchecked, down her face, dripping on her nightdress. Kaoru wiped her tears at the back of her hand.</p><p>The pleasant chiming of the doorbell echoed in the large apartment. There was a muffled conversation, and it was then that she heard a knock on the open door of the small office. Confident that she had wrapped up any evidence of her tears she turned, seeing a flustered Misao, and a quiet Aoshi by the doorway.</p><p>"Uh," It was strange, Misao was as red as a firetruck, "Someone's here for you."</p><p>The blue-eyed woman raised a brow. "<em>Someone</em>?" she tried to clarify, but Misao and Aoshi had disappeared into the kitchen. Trusting her best friend's judgment that the certain 'someone' posed no danger, Kaoru headed towards the closed door, stepping out in utter confusion.</p><p>A cousin, perhaps? A friend?</p><p>"Hey,"</p><p>The timbre of his voice sent her spine straight in attention, and she gaped at the tall form before her. He was still in his suit, the same one he wore earlier, the slicked-back hair now tousled and relaxed.</p><p>"You look like you'd seen a ghost." Enishi snorted.</p><p>Goosebumps rode on her scantily-clad skin, and she rubbed her hands on her shoulders, suddenly aware of the chill of the night breeze, and her flimsy little nightdress.</p><p>"Eh," she stepped forward, fighting the blush on her cheeks, "How did you—"</p><p>"It's not that difficult," he informed, "Once I knew your best friend and her husband's name."</p><p>She remained silent, too abashed. Still reaching for that familiar fur coat that was absent at the moment...</p><p>"Here," Enishi took his black coat off, settling it on her exposed shoulders. "It's still early. I haven't had dinner,"</p><p>"I..." Kaoru looked up at him, "I'm busy right now."</p><p>He scoffed. "Busy with what? Sending a single <em>e-mail</em>?"</p><p>She opened her mouth to retort, but the smart-ass reply died down when she realized that yes, she did tell him earlier she was sending someone an e-mail. She ended up reaching out and (gently) punching his arm.</p><p>"I have a life, too." She tried... "It's not my fault I'm technologically challenged."</p><p>He scoffed again, and he reached out for her wrist and tugged.</p><p>"Enishi, I'm not dressed."</p><p>He dragged her with him. "Then we'll order drive-through."</p><p>Despite her protests, she allowed him to take her to his expensive-looking car. She stepped back when he opened the passenger door for her, and she stepped in when he motioned to her with his hand. Kaoru quickly glanced back, only to see Misao and Aoshi peeking from the doorway, waving reluctantly.</p><p>She watched the city lights fade and emerge from her window as they passed quietly by. The streets were alive and bustling.</p><p>"I missed your face," He suddenly said, and she turned to him. His expression was nothing out of the ordinary. Unreadable, frustratingly reticent. They stopped under a red light, "And it's nice to see you again, too." His dark blue eyes were intense on her, against the dim ambiance of the car.</p><p>Suddenly she was overwhelmed with his clean, masculine scent. He had leaned towards her, and he planted a soft kiss on the side of her jawline, near the corner of her lips. The light before them turned green, and he withdrew, settling his gaze back to the road as he drove.</p><p>Kaoru remained quiet as she smiled,</p><p>feeling especially small in the warmth of his black suit.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>A/N: I apologize in advance for the overly saccharine contents of this chapter, but it is all intentional. I just helped finish off a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts to make this possible, and I believe the sugar has finally taken over my circulating blood.</em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>vii.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"This is beautiful," she said.</p><p>They sat in the middle of the large, empty space, the sound of the nearby waves on the shore bouncing against the bare walls. Goosebumps rose on her legs as the wind made its way into the open glass doors of the patio, and she tucked her knees close to her chest, curling into the warmth of his expensive black coat.</p><p>For moments she remained silent as they stared at a most magnificent view of the harbor lights.</p><p>"Whose house is this?" she asked, almost breathless. The house, devoid of furniture and art that would have been standard for a mansion of this scale, was clearly unoccupied but heavily maintained. From the scale of luxury that the unfurnished mansion had already displayed in its bare essentials, she almost felt like she had trespassed into a secret she was not supposed to uncover.</p><p>"Enishi?" she turned to her side, and she flushed a bit.</p><p>He was staring at her again, with that unreadable expression on his face.</p><p>He did not bother to turn the lights on. The spill of the moonlight on her was especially becoming, and the blue of her eyes was a stunning illumine. For moments it seemed that he had stalled.</p><p>"Hey," she prodded, tilting her head. She gave him a playful smile. "Are we going to get in trouble for this?"</p><p>"No," he said, finally catching his breath. There was another rush of gentle wind and a rustle of plastic as it hit their empty takeout bags, sitting forgotten on the floor. "I'm sure the owner won't mind."</p><p>It was his house.</p><p>He had purchased it six months ago. The location and modern architecture were what originally caught his eye, but he had only invested in this certain real estate for his portfolio.</p><p>"You like it?" he spelled, unsure of why he was asking. It most probably had to do with her presence in the middle of the unfurnished house, with the moonlight spilling on her hair...</p><p>"Who wouldn't?" Kaoru watched him closely. He was massaging the side of his neck. "Don't tell Megumi this... but I think their house, as modern and wonderful as it is, pales to this in comparison."</p><p>Slowly she reached out to him and touched his tense neck. The man froze on his spot. He turned to look at her. She was smiling at him fondly, her free hand patting her folded legs.</p><p>"So why are you with Misao and not your cousin's?" He tried to act stoic as he complied, laying down and resting his head against her lap.</p><p>He let his gaze drift towards the night view of the harbor, the moment her gentle fingers ran through his hair. At that moment, he thought the world was melting away.</p><p>"I don't want to be a nuisance to them... especially at this time." The pressure on her fingertips was absolutely sedating, "Megumi is pregnant."</p><p>"Congratulations are due,"</p><p>"Ah," she smiled, "They all thought she was barren. She was married once... She wasn't able to bear a child, and so the first husband let her go." She continued her gentle ministrations, "But now she has Sano. It's a beautiful miracle."</p><p>Enishi stiffened. He could not decipher why, but a random thought just popped out of his head:</p><p>
  <em>Selkie men can give children to barren women.</em>
</p><p>Perhaps it was because they talked about Megumi, and he had just recalled about that day, in the coffee shop...? Perhaps it was the wistful atmosphere of the night? He decided to push the capricious thought away.</p><p>"It's incredible, really... how those two met." She laughed softly, "She took a cruise to grieve over her divorce. There she was, bawling her eyes out in the middle of the Atlantic, when according to Megumi's words, he just 'popped out of nowhere<em>.</em>'"</p><p>
  <em>You need to shed seven tears to summon your selkie-man.</em>
</p><p>Enishi tried to shut the ridiculous thought off.</p><p>Her hands... yes, he would blame it on her hands.</p><p>They were causing his poor sanity to be in disarray.</p><p>His eyelids getting heavy, his consciousness dwindling down... he had never felt this fucking peaceful, laying in the middle of a large, empty house, with only the spill moonlight and a blue-eyed woman.</p><p>The crashing of the waves was particularly comforting.</p><p>"Say, Enishi..." she asked, ever so softly.</p><p>"Hmm," he was slipping in and out of dreamland.</p><p>"Has your hair always been...</p><p>white?"</p><p>"No." He answered, as he finally caved in to the weight of his stressful day. He thought he felt her stiffen. He thought he felt little drops of water pattering lightly on his face.</p><p>But then again, it was all just probably a dream,</p><p>Like how he dreamt of her curling up to him as she whispered,</p><p>"<em>After all these years, I always wondered what happened to you...”</em></p><hr/><p>He woke up to the sound of the waves crashing in the not-so-distant shore. Outside the sliding doors, the moon was high on the sparsely-starred sky, and the chill of the coastal wind penetrated his bones. He sat up, slightly dazed from sleep, and blinked in confusion as he stared at his surroundings.</p><p>He wondered why he never bothered moving in to this special house:</p><p>It was incredibly lonely.</p><p>"<em><strong>A stor mo chroi, when the evening mist<br/>Over mountain and meadow is falling,"</strong></em></p><p>His eyes snapped to the patio. She stood in the middle of the wooden deck, under the light of the full moon. Her small form looked warm from the comfort of his coat, her eyes locked to the distant night horizon...</p><p>"<em><strong>Won't you turn away from the throng and the list<br/>And maybe you will hear me calling,"</strong></em></p><p>Goosebumps rose on his skin as he listened to her incredibly beautiful, most eerily haunting voice. She was singing to the ocean,</p><p>"<em><strong>For the sound of a voice you will surely miss<br/>For somebody speedy returning,<br/></strong></em></p><p>
  <em> <strong>A run, a run, won't you come back soon<br/>To the one that will always love you..."</strong> </em>
</p><p>She heard something shift from behind her, and she gave him a sidelong glance.</p><p>"How long have I been asleep?"</p><p>She turned back to the sea. "Three days."</p><p>He snorted in dry amusement.</p><p>"Let's see," she laughed softly at herself, as she lifted her gaze up to the heavens, "Judging from the position of the moon and the relative stars, I would say it's about midnight."</p><p>He inhaled sharply; his breath literally whisked away by her words.</p><p>"You better get me home," she sighed, leaning against the rail of the wooden deck, "Misao is gonna raise hell. Then again," she smiled, "You're my pretend '<em>boyfriend,'</em> she should give us a little leeway, yes?"</p><p>There was a long string of silence that followed, yet she seemed content. Her tranquil smile had not dropped, she remained patiently quiet under his customary silence. A gentle breeze blew, and she held the unbound strands of her hair away that was tickling her face...</p><p>"Why does it have to be pretend?" he suddenly said.</p><p>She spun around, eyes wide and vulnerable.</p><p>"Why does it have to be pretend," Enishi repeated, "When we have all the ability in the world to make it possible?"</p><p>Dark blue eyes that stared into her, intense enough to pierce her soul. Suddenly becoming very self-conscious, she took a step back,</p><p>And he took a step forward.</p><p>"Why not take me. As your boyfriend." Only a couple of strides was all it took before he stood close before her, hovering over her tiny figure. "I am no saint. I played around with many women, it is something I don't entirely take pleasure in, but I don't regret it either. They were all most casual, and I made certain they knew beforehand."</p><p>Trapping her with his body, her back hitting the rail,</p><p>"But I have never committed myself. You will be my first. If you take me as your boyfriend, I will stay exclusive for you." He braced his hands on the rail, completely confining her, leaving her no chance for escape. "I'm more than capable of providing for you materially. I will make time for you when you need me. No other woman will touch me. You can use me in ways no one has used me… and I will still be at your mercy."</p><p>He lurched down, his lips hovering over hers.</p><p>"I wake up and go to sleep with you in my thoughts, and this has never happened before. I'm a selfish person, I don't like to share, and it drives me crazy thinking that someone else might be luring you with these same words."</p><p>He touched her face, and he ran his fingers sensually through her hair,</p><p>"I need you to grant me the exclusive rights to you, and I can only be appeased if you say yes."</p><p>Her breath trembled, her lips tingling from anticipation...</p><p>"I need to think this through," she said, breathless,</p><p>as light butterfly kisses started descending her face,</p><p>"There are certain... elements... in my life that I have to weigh,"</p><p>The hand that ran gently through her hair pulled her closer, as his other hand traveled to the small of her back, retrieving her from the cold rail, pressing her against his hardened body.</p><p>He pulled slightly away. "At this point in time, are you at least considering me?"</p><p>"At this point in time," she answered, "How can I possibly consider anyone else?"</p><p>His impatient lips came crashing against hers. He almost groaned at how soft she was against him,</p><p>"You're not my boyfriend yet," she said, catching her breath.</p><p>"You just implied that I will be, so I might as well help myself." He dipped down, claiming her lips with his yet again. The world around them spun,</p><p>"Enishi," she sighed.</p><p>"Tell me to stop and I will," he scraped his teeth lightly on her bottom lip, urgently seeking entrance. She was deathly naïve to these things, and he could feel as she hesitated to part her lips.</p><p>But she did grant him consent, and the moment she did, his tongue slid inside.</p><p>He kissed her fiercely. Sucking what felt like the very breath out of her lungs, she felt she couldn't breathe. The stars were spinning above her. The tidal waves in her own mind were swallowing her whole. She clung to him helplessly, a shallow hum from him came in response. She shyly answered his tongue with her own.</p><p>The man groaned.</p><p>The intense heat of his need for her made the ground unstable, and her legs eventually buckled. He eased her to the deck flooring, his steady arm supporting her back, the palm of his free hand spreading across her heated body.</p><p>She would have begged for air. He was unyielding, demanding ownership of every crevice of her mouth, claiming her every breath that escaped her lungs. He pulled away, and she finally breathed, but all the released breath was sucked back in when his lips trailed her neck.</p><p>She mewled upon the foreign sensation of his tongue against her skin,</p><p>And the hand that settled on the side of her hip had found its way into her nightdress, his hands sliding smoothly against the sacred skin of her goosebump-ridden thighs—</p><p>A most obnoxious blaring echoed throughout the empty house, her hand gently splayed on his chest, steadying him.</p><p>She sat up. He followed, watching her closely as she struggled to catch her breath. Pupils blown wide amidst vulnerable blue irises, her cheeks flushed and her lips parted, her black hair beautifully tousled.</p><p>As if in great pain he groaned, leaning swiftly towards her and yanked her wrist. She ended up falling on his lap in a most intimate straddling position. He ran his hands through her hair and tugged at her urgently in an attempt to continue whatever was interrupted.</p><p>But the blaring started again, nonstop. Depriving him of contact, she put a hand between them yet again.</p><p>"Answer your phone," she said.</p><p>Enishi huffed in frustration. He used his free hand to reach into his pocket, and maintaining a possessive arm across her waist, he answered the blasted nuisance.</p><p>"Is this Kaoru's boyfriend?"</p><p>He was almost taken aback. It was Misao.</p><p>He could feel Kaoru's soft breath as she sighed against his face, and she collapsed against his shoulder. He held her tighter as her body melded onto his.</p><p>"Yes, this is he."</p><p>"I hate to break it to you, but what time do you think it is?!" Enishi opened his mouth to answer when Misao cut in, "Hey Mister, I don't care whoever bigwig celebrity you are, but this is my precious Kaoru we're dealing with here. Bring her back home within ten minutes or else you'll never see the light of day—"</p><p>He almost snorted from the threat when Kaoru suddenly snatched the phone out of his hands, "The drive home will take fifteen minutes," she appeased, "We're on our way."</p><p>"Bet," Misao concluded as she hung up.</p><p>"You wouldn't want to infuriate her," Kaoru warned him jokingly, "That small woman packs a lot of punch..."</p><p>"Not my business," he deftly threw the phone away and attempted to catch her lips yet again,</p><p>"Enishi!" she laughed, wiggling out of his iron grasp. To his surprise, she was successful, as she sprinted out of his reach, "Seriously. You're not the one to bear the brunt of her wrath when I get home,"</p><p>The man released a heavy, audible breath. "Kaoru," was all he could say. His head was still swimming in the clouds when he drove her home, and he barely remembered the conversation they had when he invited her to his birthday.</p><p>"Of course," she seemed genuinely excited, "Black tie?"</p><p>"Cocktail," he managed to answer. He parked the car by the apartment's entrance, turning to her.</p><p>"Hopefully Edina packed me a few dresses..." she muttered to herself, and she turned to him brightly, "I'm looking forward to it!"</p><p>"Yes, I as well..." he reached towards the passenger seat, his hand nestling on the back of her pretty little head. He then leaned eagerly towards her, his tall frame easily hovering over her small body, craving for the contact that was interrupted earlier.</p><p>"Oh!" she exclaimed, even before their lips could finally touch.</p><p>The man drew back, almost growling in frustration: Misao was rapping her hands on the window, trying to peek inside his heavily tinted car.</p><p>"Guess I can't talk to you tonight," she laughed, pulling away. "She'll have an ax to grind for me staying out so late," she opened the door before he could even steal a peck.</p><p>"Kaoru," he called out, and she turned to him. "I'll be waiting for your <em>yes</em>. But in the meantime, allow me to linger beside you?"</p><p>She smiled, and she nodded.</p><p>He was caught unaware when she suddenly climbed back into the passenger's seat, and she pressed her lips against his. He could only manage a shallow hum, and even before he could reach around her waist to tug her in and deepen the kiss, she pulled away and waved.</p><p>She turned to her flustered best friend, who was rattling off like a truck with no brakes. Kaoru shut the door behind her, and he melted onto his leather car seat,</p><p>Huffing out in vexation.</p><hr/><p>He had not seen nor talked to her the whole day.</p><p>That was what they agreed on, as much as he protested the idea. She gave him a "day off from everything," and they were to meet for his birthday dinner.</p><p>He tried calling her throughout the day, yet she had been unreachable. And so he tried to occupy himself with the preparations for the evening, greeting the guests with disinterest as they trickled aboard the deck of his luxury yacht.</p><p>"Nervous?" Hiyoko leaned against him, motioning to an older man who was engaged in conversation with a very intimidating group of businessmen on the far corner. It was her boss' father.</p><p>"Why would I be," Enishi said, yet the flicker to his eyes said otherwise.</p><p>"Did you give her the correct address?" She teased, and she was rewarded with a deadpan <em>I'm-not-stupid</em> look. "Listen, she's your first official girlfriend! To top that off, you're already introducing her to your father... which I thought would never happen in a million fucking years..."</p><p>"She's not my girlfriend yet," he said, and the Secretary raised a skeptic brow.</p><p>"Oh?" She pulled her phone out and opened the screen to her Facebook app, shoving it to his face. "Then explain to me why you changed your status last night, Mr. <em>In-A-Relationship</em>?"</p><p>He nonchalantly waved her evidence away, "As far as I am concerned, I have given her my word. There is no point in engaging with anyone else."</p><p>"So <em>she</em> is making you wait?" She burst into gleeful laughter, "Enishi, I need to meet that woman... AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"</p><p>Momentarily distracted by another group of guests, they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. She gave her boss a sharp glance when the Vice-President Heishin alighted, greeting Enishi as if no betrayal had been brewing.</p><p>The arrival of the guests dwindled, and the white-haired businessman glanced nervously at his watch.</p><p>Their departure time was fast approaching.</p><p>"You did help her prepare for tonight, did you?" His transgender friend suddenly asked, and Enishi turned to her. The Personal Secretary's jaw fell, catching his reaction. "You are aware that she's hopelessly naïve, right?"</p><p>He remained deathly silent.</p><p>"Boss," she almost pulled her hair out in disbelief, "From what I gathered, she's from fucking 'nowhere.' She probably doesn't have a decent cocktail dress..." she turned to him, "Or worse, doesn't even <em>know </em>what Cocktail means..."</p><p>As if on cue, his phone suddenly lit up. Misao's number appeared on his screen, and he hastily answered.</p><p>"Enishi?" Kaoru's voice carried over. She wasn't her cheerful self... was she <em>worried</em>?</p><hr/><p>"Where are you?" He ran his fingers nervously through his slicked-back hair. The luxury yacht blared its horn, signaling their near departure.</p><p>"I'm in the loading dock," she said, "Is this where I'm supposed to be? Before a large <em>superyacht</em>?"</p><p>"Yes," he answered, something in his throat was dropping.</p><p>"I'm looking at it now, and I see a lot of people," she said. The tone of her voice had never been this unreadable, "I was... under the impression that the dinner would only be between both of us..."</p><p>"Boss!" Hiyoko called out as he sprinted down the boarding stairs of the yacht, disappearing down to the covered boat ramp of the marina. </p><p>"Kaoru," he said as he descended, frantically searching for a glimpse of familiar black hair. Yet the only people on the private marina were the uniformed crew, going about their business.</p><p>"Eh," she laughed nervously, "You should have told me this was a full-blown party, instead of a private dinner... Ah, please give me due warning next time. In that way, I should have... I should have..."</p><p>Had he compromised her trust? Had he put her on the spot? Never in his intentions did he want to embarrass her... the man turned to the entrance of the dock, to where all the lights had concentrated.</p><p>"I should have dressed a bit more <em>conservatively</em>..." she finished,</p><p>And the hand that was holding the phone dropped limply to his side.</p><p>She turned to him, and he caught her eyes. He did not realize his feet had brought him magically towards her.</p><p>"Hi," she greeted,</p><p>"Hey." He managed, releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "You look..."</p><p>"Silly?" she supplied, the blush to her cheeks rising.</p><p>"No," was all he could say.</p><p>Standing before him was a sultry woman, clad in a ridiculously tiny <em>slip dress</em>. The delicate white silk hugged every swell and curve of her body, boasting ample breasts and full hips despite her petite figure.</p><p>Long, black hair in a Hollywood wave, sky-high stilettos that would have given his most spoiled socialite flings a nosebleed, she walked up to him with such fluid ease, looking like a natural in such dangerous altitudes.</p><p>Kaoru looked up to him with blue doe-eyes. "I think I overdid it..." she hesitated, "You see, I chose this dress for you... not for a yachtful of strangers."</p><p>Suddenly the poofy white fur that looked perpetually out of place on her shoulders, didn't seem so out-of-place anymore.</p><p>It was every amount of luxury she deserved, as it fell only until her exposed upper thighs. With his possessiveness taking over, he suddenly wished the damn fur coat could have been longer, and he fought the urge to reach out and close the edges of her open coat to hide the arousing view that she bared in front of him.</p><p>"We can ditch the guests and find some other place—" he trailed off, kissing the back of her hand.</p><p>"I can't let you do that!" she laughed as she tugged him with her towards the waiting yacht. The boat blared its departure signal yet again.</p><p>Holding her hand they climbed the boarding stairs, "Kaoru," he said, and she looked down. He was still a few steps below her, and with the height of her heels... "This cannot wait,"</p><p>He ascended a step closer and  enclosed his lips on hers.</p><p>She only tasted sweeter than before.</p><p>"You're not my boyfriend yet," she reminded him as she pulled away, yet she was smiling. She looked around, relieved that the guests were settled inside. But a few of the crew members had seen and were gaping...</p><p>"You implied that I will be," he justified, greedily pulling her in yet again.</p><p>There was a short scuffle from the deck, "Hey Boss!", and Enishi huffed in irritation as he turned to the source.</p><p>Hiyoko was on the captain's deck, waving at him. The captain himself shrugged, pointing to his watch.</p><p>A gentle tug brought his attention back before him, "Come, it's rude to keep your guests waiting," Kaoru smiled at him reassuringly. They made their way towards the upper deck, and the moment they stepped within the guest's perimeters she subtly broke off from him, as a mass of people congregated towards him, greeting him a pleasant birthday.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>viii.</em>
</p><hr/><p>As a young bachelor, he had always been miffed at the idea of bringing obligatory 'dates' in parties and business functions. It would raise his ire. It never failed to grate on his nerves. He would be paraded around the room by the woman, who would be clinging tightly on his arm like shit to a shovel, and show him off as if he were a piece of prized fish that she had caught.</p><p>That, or she would completely hog him all to herself, and he would end up isolated from the party, as said woman would throw murderous glances to other females, who happened to be well-meaning wives or mothers of his acquaintances.</p><p>His male acquaintances, in turn, would dare not approach him and only smile and wave from a safe distance.</p><p>But such was not a night like this.</p><p>Tonight was a strange exception.</p><p>Enishi pulled away from a friendly conversation, and he turned his gaze to his side.</p><p>She was gone again.</p><p>His gaze searched the span of the luxe dining hall, scowling. For this one instance in his life, he wished she was the clingy type he had been so annoyed of before... the type that would latch onto his arm like a limpet and parade her claim around, or even the one to hog him all to herself possessively.</p><p>It did not take him a long time to find out that she was not such.</p><p>She did not cling to his arm. She would only stand beside him and take one step back when the guest would lean towards him for a fond hug or a handshake. Then after the greeting, she would settle beside him as he would introduce her to his guest. Only after he made formal introductions, she would offer her hand, and her smile, for a cordial handshake of her own.</p><p>"She's surprisingly cultured," Gein commented once, during the formal dinner, "For someone who claims to come from <em>'the middle of nowhere.'</em>"</p><p>Indeed, her seemingly flawless mastery of social etiquette was a glaring paradox to her naivete in mundane, everyday tasks.</p><p>Just last night, in the empty house, he had to talk her through how to unwrap her burger and eat it, <em>"Ah, no fork or knife?" she said, flustered, "You want me just to open my mouth wide and take a big bite?!" </em></p><p>Earlier, though, she had no qualms in picking up the right fork for her salad, and she breezed through the whole course of the meal without any directions as to which utensil was used for which.</p><p>She was not timid, either, as expected from someone who supposedly came from an unknown country. She did not shrink when she was introduced to his father and his associates. She stayed by his side, occasionally wandering off once in a while. He had to break off and retrieve her.</p><p>Enishi was in the middle of the crowd, searching for that one figure his eyes would naturally gravitate towards. She was by the bar, talking to Maya, much to his surprise.</p><p>His former friend-with-benefits probably said something somber because when Maya pulled back, he could see the intense blue in Kaoru's eyes darken even from where he was standing.</p><p>Kaoru forced a pained smile.</p><p>Then amid a crowd of people she disengaged, and she searched.</p><p>Her gaze met his.</p><p>He gave her a little smile,</p><p>And she smiled back, too.</p><p>Enishi motioned to leave the circle of guests, but Kaoru nodded once, reassuring him that she was alright.</p><p>His brows scrunched, his characteristic scowl forming on his face. From across the room she breathed out deep, and the little smile she was giving him back suddenly plunged him into a whole other depth.</p><p>The warmth on her gaze deepened, and her smile turned wistful... watching him from afar.</p><p>The smile and her deep gaze were something new... she had been throwing these intense, pensive looks at his direction since the beginning of the night.</p><p>
  <em>He thought he felt her stiffen. </em>
</p><p><em>He</em> <em> thought he felt little drops of tears pattering lightly on his face.</em></p><p>"Tomoe would be delighted if she were here today," His father said from beside him.</p><p>Baffled by her mysteriously heartsick gaze, Enishi was utterly distracted. "Why so?" he managed.</p><p>
  <em>But then again, it was all just probably a dream,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Like how he dreamt of her curling up to him as she whispered, </em>
</p><p>"<em>After all these years, I always wondered what happened to you..."</em></p><p>"The way you've been looking at that girl the whole night, it's enough to make this old man blush..."</p><p>Enishi had to reel himself from the words, grimacing. The nerve of this old man, calling him sentimental!</p><p>"Now go and get her back," his father prodded, motioning to Kaoru's direction. Right now, she was by the dessert table with a small plate on hand as she was dipping a skewered strawberry on the fondue. She was engaged in conversation with a blonde-haired male, whom he immediately recognized as one of their prime investors.</p><p>The white-haired man's scowl grew deeper.</p><p>"Go, my boy. You'll burn the whole room down with that glare of yours." The old man pushed his son gently, and Enishi started towards the girl. "Although," he said to himself, as his white-haired young man was out of earshot, "She looks strangely familiar."</p><p>He studied her for long moments, squinting as he did.</p><p>Perhaps it was the confusion from old age. Perhaps it was his bad eyesight. The old man shrugged, giving up. With how his son seemed hopelessly smitten, he would not read into it. It was clear that he would be seeing more of her soon.</p><hr/><p>"Enjoying the evening?" The blond-haired male smiled, and she turned to him with her brilliant blue eyes.</p><p>"Of course," she smiled back, bringing the strawberry to her lips. No one was to distract her from the chocolate-covered dessert— "Oh!"</p><p>A pair of hands had snaked around her waist and she was yanked back, her tiny frame hitting a wall of lean, hard muscle.</p><p>"I could have grabbed you some," the familiar voice said, "All you had to do was ask." and before she could turn to see the source, white hair invaded her vision, and the owner of said white hair leaned down and ate the strawberry from her hand.</p><p>He left her with an empty skewer and an immense tinge of red on her cheeks.</p><p>"You were busy," Kaoru stepped back, fighting embarrassment. "I didn't want to get in your way."</p><p>"Yukishiro," the blond-haired executive laughed nervously, a hint of red on his own face.</p><p>With such blatant display of affection, it was hard not to react otherwise—</p><p>Enishi reached out again and settled his hand possessively around her waist, and it stayed there, announcing its claim. He made certain his acquaintance's eyes were on his hand. "Holmes," he acknowledged.</p><p>"Just here for the fondue," Holmes smiled, "Came across your charming date. Nice to meet you, miss...?"</p><p>"Kamiya," Kaoru smiled at him warmly.</p><p>The blond-haired executive nodded and settled his attention to Enishi, "I've got to hand it to you, Yukishiro. The evening's been nothing but wonderful."</p><p>"Delighted to hear that," Enishi answered, "My girlfriend and I are having a grand time ourselves," he turned to the woman beside him, his grin suddenly turning ruthless. "Right, Kaoru?"</p><p>She nodded her head and beamed up at him without so much as a flinch. "Couldn't agree more,"</p><p>"Well, happy birthday, Yukishiro." Holmes offered an outstretched hand, from which Enishi promptly shook. "Miss Kamiya, it was nice meeting you." he tipped his head in her direction and gave them a warm smile as he left.</p><hr/><p>They climbed the stairs of the boat that led to the empty upper deck. The captain left the yacht mooring at a comfortable distance from land, and from where they stood, the outline of the many lights of the harbor stood out.</p><p>"How are you?" he suddenly asked. He was standing right behind her. She did not bother to turn. Her attention was to the lights of the nearby Marina.</p><p>"Good," she answered. "Although I would appreciate it if you'd stop introducing me as your girlfriend to everyone."</p><p>In the background, the waves softly crashing against the boat's hull was the most mesmerizing sound.</p><p>"It's not fair," he grinned, "You're claiming me as your boyfriend, to your friends and family. Why am I not allowed to do the same?"</p><p>She huffed at him, and he merely smiled.</p><p>"Did my guests drain you out?"</p><p>"They were cordial," she answered, "I can't complain. Besides," she brought her gaze to the night sky. "The night is almost over."</p><p>"How could you tell?" he stepped closer, bridging the gap between them. There was no touch, only their closeness...</p><p>"Hmmm?"</p><p>"The time."</p><p>Kaoru then turned away from the Marina and slowly pointed up, far to the horizon, towards the heavens. "I look to the moon at times," she said, "But mostly... I search for Polaris," it was at that moment that he had to catch his breath, "The Northern Star."</p><p>He remained quiet, as he listened to the whisper of the waves, and the sound of her voice,</p><p>"Where I come from, where I grew up... it's very different, from all the luxuries here. We track the stars so very often, reading the moods of the sea and the wind...</p><p>Until it becomes second nature to us."</p><p>She turned to him, her eyes suddenly glimmering with excitement. "I can teach you some time if you want," she paused, the brightness on her eyes dying down, "But then again, you wouldn't need it. You have your fancy smartphones and such..." her voice trailed off, getting smaller and smaller by the minute. "And you never told me... I knew you were an important man in your company, but I had no idea you were the actual <em>Big Shot</em>..."</p><p>"I'm still me," he said, and blue eyes searched for his validation. He was slightly annoyed when he locked gazes with her, "That shouldn't change anything."</p><p>"I guess so," she gave him a little smile, and she turned back towards the sea.</p><p>"Teach me some time," he said, "My father is mostly never impressed with my achievements anymore. Perhaps reading the stars might be something I would know, and he wouldn't..."</p><p>"Your father is... a quirky man."</p><p>He couldn't help his lopsided grin. "Everyone says so."</p><p>"I didn't get to meet your mother. Is she... not here with us anymore?"</p><p>She said it so softly he barely caught it. She said it as if she genuinely wanted to know, but was afraid of the answer. His smile dropped, and a veil of darkness fell over his eyes. Suddenly he was not too accommodating, suddenly he withdrew.</p><p>"It is something I wouldn't want to talk about, if you don't mind."</p><p>She spun to him and fell quiet:</p><p>He stood there, cold and distant, bodily present, but <em>him</em>, far beyond her reach.</p><p>"It's something I prefer not to remember... that wretched place and time."</p><p>Her hands suddenly braced his, snapping him back to the present. He looked at her, and the man held his breath.</p><p>There she was again, staring up at him with that wistful look, her blue eyes wide and vulnerable, her lips parted in a sigh. "I'm sorry," she said, "I won't ask again."</p><p>"Until I am ready," he reassured her, cupping her face in the palm of his hands. She gave him a gentle smile.</p><p>The man dipped down,</p><p>and he pressed his lips against hers.</p><p>She received him eagerly, sighing as he pulled her closer. "I can't..." he whispered, "seem to get enough of you,"</p><p>Her cheeks flared red like wildfire at his declaration, and she shuddered as his kisses grew heavier.</p><p>"If you are willing," he crooned, "sleep with me tonight,"</p><p>Torrid heat, engulfing her despite the cool winds of the sea and the subtle light of the distant stars. His hands were heavy against her skin as it explored underneath her white fur coat, the feel of silk and her heat inflaming him into more smoldering heights.</p><p>"No,' she managed, trying to catch her breath. "Enishi, I haven't given you my <em>yes</em>."</p><p>He suddenly withdrew, and he wrapped her very tight in his arms. It was as if he squeezed the air in her lungs out; the sheer strength physically hurt. His erection was pressing painfully against her, yet she stayed very still.</p><p>She knew he was trying to calm himself down.</p><p>"Dammit, Kaoru," he cursed softly.</p><p>"There are certain... elements..." she started, but got cut off short.</p><p>"Is this about Maya?" He asked. He remembered the utterly heartbroken expression she tried to conceal, the pained, forced smile, "I hate to tell you this, Kaoru, but there will be other women from before who will come forward,"</p><p>A downward twitch to her lips that she tried to conceal again with a reassuring smile, and his heart sank. His jaw clenched in restrained frustration,</p><p>"Last night I told you... I am no saint...</p><p>But you have to fucking understand, that was a different time."</p><p>The man was aware of how pathetic he sounded. Like a child deprived of his promised candy, he was throwing an unnecessary tantrum.</p><p>But she had no idea how confused he felt at that moment. She had no idea how utterly ridiculous he felt, the past month, with random thoughts he never thought he would think of, now barging into his head.</p><p>Of how he thought it would be nice if her toothbrush was next to his, or how she would think about the dinner he cooked...</p><p>The woman had no idea how his priorities shifted; that one moment she poured those sugar packets into her coffee, and smiled.</p><p>"You don't have to explain yourself," she reached out, and she touched his face. He exhaled heavily, willing all his tension away. "I have to consider... a lot of things..."</p><p>He rested his forehead on hers. "Then what else do I have to do?"</p><p>"Enishi," she sighed deeply, and she closed her eyes. She fell silent for the longest moments.</p><p>Then she pulled away, and she took a step back.</p><p>When she opened her eyes, it was, as always, that same stunning blue that had arrested him five months ago in the coffee shop:</p><p>"I have to tell you something."</p><p>A heavy silence lingered between them, but he waited patiently. The lull of the water's motion under their feet, as the boat gently bobbed up and down from the waves...</p><p>"You may not believe this," she started, and immediately her words sent shivers down his spine.</p><p>
  <em>*The image of her, staring wistfully at sea...*</em>
</p><p>
  <em>*Selkies,* Megumi had said, *It's a mythical being, the seal-folk, who can change from seal to human by shedding their skin.*</em>
</p><p>She laughed softly to herself, shaking her head. "I mean, this may be hard to believe,"</p><p>
  <em>*"It's a totally different one," she thought he didn't hear her that time, but he did, "Your world and mine,"*</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Standing in the middle of the wooden deck, under the light of the full moon,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Singing to the distant horizon...</em>
</p><p>"Enishi," she gathered her courage, and she took a deep breath in. "I am actually—"</p><p>"BOSS!" somebody cut them short, and the pair snapped towards the source. Enishi's new frown grew deeper the moment he saw the person responsible for such rude intrusion.</p><p>"Heishin," He said with much distaste.</p><p>"I apologize for the bother, but some of our business partners would like a word with you before the evening ends." Heishin looked annoyed, more than anything.</p><p>Enishi turned to Kaoru, seeking her permission.</p><p>She nodded her head, reassuring him.</p><p>He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "We'll resume this later," he said, leaning towards her again for another chaste kiss. Their lips lingered on each other longer until Heishin had to clear his throat rather loudly.</p><p>"The guests?" he said snottily.</p><p>Enishi gave him a pointed glare, as Kaoru gently nudged him. "Go. I'll wait for you here."</p><p>She watched him quietly as he disappeared down the stairs.</p><hr/><p>"You two seem to be getting along well," Heishin said, settling beside her by the railings of the upper deck.</p><p>"He's not difficult to like," Kaoru answered, turning her attention towards the night sky.</p><p>"Pfft," Heishin scoffed. "You must be out of your fucking mind. He's the nastiest man that has existed on this planet." His arm brushed against hers, and from this, Kaoru quickly withdrew.</p><p>She stole a glance at the man beside him, who seemed oblivious to her discomfort.</p><p>"Enishi is not—"</p><p>"You say that because he looks the way he does. Were he any other man, trust me, he would disgust you." He was standing too close in her personal space. She tried to back away, but he kept on stepping forward. "Little girl, I don't know if you're pretending to be naïve, or you're the most cunning bitch I have encountered."</p><p>Kaoru reeled, utterly bewildered. "Just what are you talking about?"</p><p>She almost lurched at the leer that Heishin gave her. "You know about his reputation with women. You've seen how they still have their hands all over him when he is around. Yet you still pretend to be this devoted Miss Goody Two Shoes.</p><p>You don't seem like a woman stupid enough to fall for his trap,</p><p>So you must only be after his money."</p><p>The woman shook her head, and, much to Heishin's shock, tears were brimming in her eyes.</p><p>"That's not true. I care for Enishi...</p><p>very deeply..."</p><p>"Then talking to a dumb gold-digger like you is pointless!" Heishin's shadow loomed over her form, and a most overwhelming feeling of dread descended over her. Before she could react to it, vice-like arms restrained her from behind, and he pushed a handkerchief into her face.</p><p>It was drenched with some chemical, the smell she couldn't pinpoint. She tried to fight, but she realized,</p><p>Her vision was blacking out.</p><p>"I was about to ask you if you wanted to choose me instead because pretty soon I will be the President of the company... and I also thought you were a nice-looking girl."</p><p>She was passing in and out of consciousness,</p><p>"But I see you're one of those shallow bitches that his pretty face has lured—" he leaned down, as she was slumping in his arms, "I was just going to let you go your merry way, but I realized, I shouldn't leave any witnesses."</p><p>*"<em>I apologize for the bother, but some of our business partners would like a word with you before the evening ends." Heishin looked annoyed, more than anything.*</em></p><p>It was then that she realized what was happening, and her eyes flew wide in horror.</p><p>"There, there, he should be fine, as of the moment. Why don't we go check? My two friends should be on the stern by now..."</p><p>She still had enough will, but her body was unable to fight.</p><p>Inevitably, the world began to grow dim, until it finally faded into black.</p>
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